Code Geass: The Path of the King
by HamJabroni Inc
Summary: The greatest of battles take place not in a battlefield littered with blood-stained weapons and decaying, mutilated corpses, but within the mind. Battles fought not with soldiers or weapons, but with morals and beliefs. For one Lelouch vi Britannia, his greatest adversary is not his father, best friend, but himself. Lelouch/Multi. Comedy inserted in an awkward, random manner.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello guys! This is my first fanfic. Review please, even if you're just insulting me. I'll have a much longer AN at the end.**

* * *

_The date was August 10, in the year 2010 in the imperial calendar. The Holy Britannian Empire has just declared war upon Japan. The Far East nation has held fast onto its neutrality, and now Britannia looms as the world"s only superpower. As rights to Japan"s underground resources became a hotly disputed issue, straining the diplomatic tensions between the two sides. In the decisive battle, Britannia introduced into combat the Knightmare Frame. With the Knightmares, Britannia obliterated Japan"s forces with little effort. Japan became a dominion of the empire; it was stripped of its freedom, its rights, and its name. Area 11, the defeated and once proud country of Japan was renamed with a mere number. _

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

**2017 a.t.b.**

"Any last words, kid?" the captain of the Royal Guard asked. They all raised their guns and pointed them at the raven-haired teenager. His violet eyes were desperately searching for a way out of his predicament but he couldn't find one. _"Wh-w-what's happening? First they kill Suzaku, now this girl! I can't believe it—I'm going to die here before I could do a single thing with my life. I couldn't even start my plans to burn Britannia to the ground. DAMMIT, if only I had more power! Wait, NUNNALLY!_" Suddenly, the mysterious girl's hand grabbed onto him. Lelouch's vision was then filled with filled with a blinding white light.

_"Well I didn't expect you of all people here."_

_"How is that possible? The girl..."_

_"You don't want it to end here, do you? You appear to have a reason for living. If I grant you power, could you go on? I propose a deal—in exchange for this power, you must agree to make my one wish come true. Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions. While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other: a different providence, a different time, a different life. The Power of the King will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?" _the girl said in his mind.

Lelouch then heard a deep booming voice that he knew all too well. Lelouch saw his father standing on a platform in the sky with men in cloaks._ "A convergence with the Ragnarok connection? So the myth is beginning once again?"_ Lelouch then saw his life flash by. He saw himself standing over his mother's dead and bloody body in Aries Villa. Then Britannia's ruthless conquest of Japan, the nation that took him in and gave him happiness. After, he saw himself in the same warehouse he's in right now, along with a dozen members of the Royal Guard pointing their guns at him. He realized that in all the situations, he was powerless, unable to change the situation. If he were to die here, Nunnally would be left alone and his dream to destroying the Britannian Empire would be left unfulfilled. With this girl's offer for power, the answer was all to clear to him now.

_"Yes, I hereby accept the terms of your contract!" _he shouted, and he was brought back to reality. Suddenly, his left eye felt warm, as if it was radiating some kind of power and quickly covered it. Unconsciously, he knew exactly what it can do **(AN: As in he knew that he can command others to obey, nothing more than that)**. Lelouch stood up and faced towards the Royal Guard. "Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?" he pondered.

Surprised by the boy's words, the captain hesitantly pointed his gun towards him. "What are you saying?" His eyes narrowed. "Are you some kind of radical?"

"What's wrong, why not shoot? Your opponent's just a schoolboy," Lelouch said mockingly. "Or have you finally realized-the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed!" Lelouch withdrew his hand back to his side, a crimson sigil manifesting itself on his eye.

The Royal Guard quaked in fear of Lelouch's mysterious eye. "Gah, what's happening here? Is this related to the girl?!"

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia command you, now all of you, DIE!" His power activated and forced the Royal Guard to obey his command.

The Royal Guard paused for a second before the power overwhelmed them. Chucking, they all looked at Lelouch with their red-rimmed eyes. "Hehehe, happily your highness!" They all turned their weapons on themselves, grins adorning their faces. "Fire!" the captain shouted before blood erupted from his neck, and he fell over dead. The other members committed suicide as well. Lelouch didn't even blink as he wiped some blood off his face.

"Ugh, disgusting," he said. _"I've lived a lie up to this point. My name was a lie, my personal history a lie, even my personality was a lie. I had to lie; I was powerless! I was unable to change this world that sickens me. But this incredible power, it's mine." _Lelouch grinned sinisterly. _"Well then..." _Lelouch's thoughts were interrupted when a Sutherland burst through the wall.

_"Why are all these Royal Guard men dead?" _the pilot of the Sutherland thought, _"A student did all this?"_ She activated the external speakers. "Boy, what happened here? And why is a Britannian student in a place like this?" When Lelouch didn't answer, she immediately became frustrated. "Are you deaf? Answer me or..." She used the anti-personnel gun on her Sutherland to shoot the wall behind him to scare him. "Answer me!" Much to her surprise, he didn't flinch.

"I order you to come out," Lelouch activated his power, "at once!" The pilot scoffed. "Who the hell do you think you are to order me?"

_"It didn't work?"_ Lelouch thought, _"It must need direct eye contact then." _He put his hands in the air, feigning surrender. "My name is Alan Spacer. My father's a duke. My ID card is in my breast pocket. After you confirm my identity, I'll request your protection." Lelouch was careful to create a tone that sounded arrogant but not enough to make her shoot him.

_"Nobility?" _She smiled. '_Hmph, his father should reward me well then." _She deactivated her knightmare and opened her cockpit. Lelouch smirked in victory when a silver-haired woman with dark skin and emerald eyes walked up to him with her gun pointed at him "Keep your hands in the air where I can see them. I'll take out your ID."

Lelouch grinned. _"Simple minded Britannian." _"Now then, give me your knightmare and gun." His power activated again.

"Understood. The code number is 1M-5O-13-37." **(A/N: Yes, I did just do that)** She tossed her knightmare's activation key to him.

"Got it." Lelouch went into the cockpit and activated it. He put his hands on the controls. "It's been a while since I've operated a knightmare. Hopefully my mother's blood runs strongly within me. With this, I'll finally be able to complete that oath I made 7 years ago."

* * *

**Flashback**

**2010 a.t.b.**

The sun was setting in the distance, bathing the land in an orange glow. The atmosphere was heavy with dread and sadness as the once proud nation of Japan was destroyed, rechristened as Area 11. Two boys were watching Genbu Kururugi's funeral pyre, lost in their thoughts with their little belongings at their feet. Suddenly, one of the boys stood up.

"I swear," he said, "I swear Suzaku so help me!" The boy known as Suzaku looked at the figure, his friend, across him. He had raven-black hair and a handsome face. His eyes were sad and he was close to crying. Abruptly, the expression in his eyes changed, displaying a look of fury and anger. "I will one day, OBLITERATE BRITANNIA!" Suzaku look at him, trying to find the courage within himself to turn his friend away from the path of violence and destruction but he could only look at him with sadness in his eyes.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto-Medical Facility**

"So are we having a bad day?" a voice asked. Suzaku instantly opened his eyes and tried to get up. However, the pain was too much and he was forced to sit. He was in what appeared to be a medical facility. He was lying down on a bed with bandages covering his torso. He looked to his right and saw a sky blue-haired man with large circular glasses and lab coat. The man seemed very laid-back, judging from his tone and posture. "Looks like you missed the chance to go to heaven, Private Kururugi," he joked. Another person, a woman with blue hair and eyes wearing a standard scientist army uniform hit him.

"Lloyd!" she scolded. The man rubbed his arm.

"Cecile! It was a joke!" he said. Cecile ignored him and showed Suzaku a pocket watch.

"This is what saved your life, Mr. Suzaku." Suzaku immediately recognized it. It was his father's pocket watch.

"You're very lucky that it was under your protective suit since it's was what deflected the bullet. However, your body is still bruised," Lloyd said.

"Ugh where am I?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh, we're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto."

"That's right. With Prince Clovis nearby, it's probably the safest place in Area 11."

"I see," Suzaku took the damaged watch and inspected it closely. "It was my father's. He passed it down to me before he...died." The woman nodded understandingly. However, the man just raised his eyebrow.

"You Elevens think that gods live inside everything, even objects, don't y-" He was cut off when Cecile's fist collided with his shoulder, causing him a great deal of pain. "Ceciiiilleeee!"

"Lloyd!" she scolded. However, Suzaku wasn't paying attention to the conversation. Lloyd as this and asked him something.

"Hmm? What ails you this time, Kururugi?" he asked as if Suzaku was a machine malfunctioning.

Suzaku was thinking of the events that transpired before he was shot. _"Wait, where's Lelouch? Did he make it out safely? And where's that girl, and why was she in that capsule? It's possible that the 'poison gas' is just a cover-up for something else. But what are they hiding?"_ Suzaku was in deep thinking when a realization struck him. _"If Lelouch is here, that means Nunnally's here as well! Goddammit, if Lelouch dies, I can never speak to Nunnally ever again! Grrr, I've got to get him out of there!"_ Cecile noticed Suzaku tense and looked at him with concern.

"Are you okay, Mr. Suzaku?" she asked. Suzaku noticed her expression and answered her.

"Oh I'm fine. But I need to do something. What's the latest on the situation?" he asked. _"I can't just sit here while my best friend probably going to die. And Lelouch is a Britannian so either terrorists find and kill him, or the Royal Guard gets him out safely. But if they do that, there's a chance they"ll find his true identity." _Suzaku sighed. _"The best I can do is do what I'm told and hopefully Lelouch will get out of there."_

"Well apparently the poison gas has been released. Massive Eleven casualties have been reported and the culprits are nowhere to be found." Cecile said.

_"Damn them! To resort to terrorism is despicable; Ends gained through such methods aren't worth anything. That's why you have to change the system from the inside."_

"Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have in piloting a Knightmare frame?" he asked. Suzaku looked at him in shock.

"There's no way an Eleven would be allowed to pilot a knightmare frame," Suzaku said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lloyd looked at him, obviously amused, and started held up a white and gold knightmare activation key.

"Well what if you could?" Lloyd mused.

* * *

**10 minutes later**

"Alright then, that's the last of the forms. Are you sure these are really necessary?" Suzaku asked while giving Lloyd a stack of papers.

"Of course it is. Just to be clear, we are not responsible for anything, understand?"

"...sure."

"Well then, behold, the Lancelot!" Lloyd and Cecile unveiled the knightmare. It was beautiful to say the least. It was white and gold, just like the key and pilot suit. On its forearms were flat plates that housed the blaze luminous shield and the slash harkens. The head was golden and the white armor enveloped it, looking almost like a helmet. The shoulders each had one large spike coming out of it. Overall, it was a knight in armor and it was ready for battle.

"The Lancelot is the world's first 7th generation knightmare frame. It has unparalleled performance and it's the strongest knightmare to date. Its armaments right now are only the shield and slash harkens but after it's fully completed, it will be armed with its VARIS rifle and MVS swords. The Lancelot is extremely quick and agile, but it is hard to pilot. To top it off, it doesn't have an ejection block!" Lloyd said while grinning madly. Suzaku's eyes widened, both in amazement and fear. "We...kind of blew our budget on the performance so it forgot to install the ejection system. But there will be no need for an ejection seat, right Suzaku Kururugi? If my Lancelot gets even a scratch…" Lloyd let the threat hang in the air. Suzaku could only gulp. That was the first time he'd seen the easy going scientist actually become serious.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Kallen Kozuki was having a bad day, to say the least. First, Tamaki didn't follow the damn plan (not like he could do anything right). Second, Nagata died because of Tamaki's idiocy. Third, she was being chased by two Sutherlands. Fourth, her Glasgow only have one arm. And finally, her energy filler is just about to run out.

Now that she thought about it, everything was Tamaki's fault. "Damn, just 30 minutes left." Tears were gathering around Kallen's eyes. Not only was she probably going to die here, she would die knowing that it was her group's fault for causing this massacre. "Those damn Britannians!" She let her tears freely flow, releasing the emotions that she had held back. It wasn't good for a soldier to let their emotions interfere with their duty but since this was the end, there was no need to hold back.

Her communicator suddenly activated. "The west entrance. Use the tracks to move to the west entrance." If Kallen was capable of thinking rationally at the time, she would've probably realized that following the voice's orders was the only thing she could do at the moment. However, that was not the case.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Kallen Kozuki was, quite frankly, pissed and she was not in the mood to be obeying the orders of the mysterious voice coming from her communicator.

"That doesn't matter. If you want to win, trust me and follow my orders," the voice said calmly as if it had expected Kallen to be resistant.

_"To win?"_ Kallen thought. Before the voice came along, all she had focused her efforts on minimizing civilian casualties. The thought of winning hadn't crossed her mind. She did the voice told her to do and maneuvered her knightmare onto the railroad tracks. _"Not exactly the best place to be fighting."_ She was still being chased, and she started panicking. "Well? What am I supposed do now?" she yelled.

"You pathetic Eleven. If you simply run away, this hunt hasn't much to offer in the way of sport," one of the pilots in the Sutherlands chasing her said over an open channel. His arrogance made Kallen's blood boil and only motivated her keep trying to live.

"Since you trusted me, you're going to win. Jump on the train!" the voice said. As soon as he said that, Kallen noticed the train coming towards her and quickly jumped on it.

"Got it!" she said as she landed. However, she looked back and saw that one of the Sutherlands was still chasing her while the other was trapped by the train. "Crap, they're still on me! Any ideas, oh mysterious voice?" Much to her disappointment, he didn't responded.

"Was that all you got, Eleven? But then again, I shouldn't expect that much from an Eleven," the Sutherland pilot said, "The name is Jeremiah Gottwald. Commit it to memory because that is the name of the man that has defeated you!" The Sutherland raised its rifle to fire but a slash harken appeared out of nowhere and damaged the Sutherland and destroyed the rifle in the process. "What the f-" A stream of bullets hit Jeremiah, forcing him to eject. "Beaten by Elevens terrorists, how disgraceful. As if I haven't been humiliated enough already," Jeremiah admitted while his cockpit soared through the air. Kallen noticed that the second Sutherland was trapped by the train and took the chance to fire a slash harken at it, destroying the unit and causing the pilot to eject.

"Thanks but who are you?" Kallen asked but when she looked back at the place where she followed the cable to, nothing was there. Kallen sighed. _"Who was he?"_ Of course Kallen was just assuming the owner of the voice was male. She was thinking of the person's identity when her radio crackled to life and the voice she recognized as Ohgi's came through.

"Kallen, are you okay?" he asked, his voice full of concern. Ever since her brother Naoto died, Ohgi took it upon himself to fill the role of being Kallen's big brother than Naoto left behind.

"I'm okay but I heard some mysterious voice over the radio."

"Us too. It told us to meet you over here." Conveniently, the voice appeared once again.

"Are you their leader?" it asked Ohgi.

"Uhh I guess so." he said.

"I present to you the cargo inside the train. They're tools for your victory if you trust me of course." Ohgi and the others opened the train cars, which to their surprise, were full of brand-new Britannian Sutherlands. They could only stare at the knightmare frames in amazement and surprise.

"WHY WOULD WE NEED YOUR HELP? WITH THESE, WE COULD KICK SOME BRITANNIAN ASS AND WE DON'T NEED SOME RANDOM VOICE TELLING US WHAT TO DO!" a particularly obnoxious resistance member yelled.

"Tamaki, calm down! I don't know who this guy is but we should give him a chance since he gave us these Sutherlands." Ohgi reasoned. "Besides, your opinion is always wrong; it's the reason we're here right now!"

"SHUT UP OHGI!"

"Are you children done bickering now?" the voice asked. Before Tamaki could respond, Ohgi put his hand over his mouth.

"What are your orders?" Ohgi inquired.

"Get into the Sutherlands. They have similar controls to a Glasgow so they shouldn't be too hard to control. I'll give all of you your code names and orders in about 10 minutes. Woman in the Glasgow!" the voice ordered.

"Y-Yes?"

"Stay where you are. Your unit's running decoy, got it?"

"Understood."

"Energy filler status?"

"About 5%."

"Recharge it. Let's hope that you're as good as I think you are." Before Kallen could respond, the voice deactivated its radio.

* * *

A few hundred meters away from Kallen's position, Lelouch's knightmare was perched inside a building. Inside the machine, Lelouch was sweating bullets, which he quickly wiped off. The effort of turning a terrorist group into a force capable of beating Clovis's men exhausted him, and the lack of ventilation in the cockpit didn't help either. Lelouch took some deep breaths. "This is wearing me out. Cornelia must have some amazing endurance to be able to be the commander she is," Lelouch said to himself. _"Wait a minute. A sweaty Corne-GODDAMN HORMONES!"_ Lelouch quickly cut off that thought before lewd thoughts filled his mind. His thoughts then took a more serious turn. _"Regardless, I need determination to succeed. After all, I"m betting my life on this, and probably Nunnally's as well. If I die here, Nunnally will no one to care for her, and my identity will be revealed. That means that Nunnally will be put back into the Royal Family, and the Elevens will be killed because of my death!" _Lelouch twirled the black king chess piece he found in his hand. _This is no game. This is war! For everyone"s sake, I must win!"_ Lelouch said as he tightly clenched the king piece in his fist.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto G-1**

"The terrorists are mixed with the Eleven populace and are mounting a minor resistance against us, but they pose little threat to our vastly superior forces," a corpulent, dark-skinned man with glasses said to the man behind him, Clovis la Britannia.

"Yes, we know that. The 'poison gas', which is what the public thinks it is, must be found! Remember, I want her dragged back here, dead or alive!" Clovis stood up, wearing a serious expression. "This is an order from Clovis la Britannia, 3rd prince of the Holy Britannia Empire! Complete it or there _will_ be consequences!" Clovis threatened. The people in the room paled.

"Yes, your highness!" they all shouted in unison.

* * *

Lelouch watched as the group he found ready themselves for the upcoming battle. People were moving various boxes and equipment, getting inside the knightmares, or testing the controls on the Sutherlands.

"Hey! Are you sure about this whole thing? These knightmares all have their IFF's removed. What is this is a trap?" the loud-mouthed one, Tamaki, asked.

"The enemy has the total advantage in this battle! They don't need to set any traps!" the leader, Ohgi, answered. Despite knowing him only for a little while, Lelouch could tell he was a natural leader. He was calm, smart, and knew how to organize a large amount of people with only a little chaos. All he needed was some confidence, but that could be easily attained with enough battle experience.

_"Good. At least someone in the group has a brain"_ Lelouch thought. "He's right. An IFF signal is a double-edged sword, as you will see once we enter this battle," Lelouch added.

"Can't you tell us who you are?" the frustrated Ohgi asked. "At least your name!" Lelouch frowned at his stupidity.

"I can't do that. What is these signals are being intercepted? But considering that you all have code names, I suppose it is only fair I give myself one." Lelouch wondered what he could call himself. He smirked as he realized what to call himseld. "For now, call me Zero." _"If the Emperor believes in absolute power, then I will be the opposite of that."_

"Zero? As in nothing?"

"Get to your positions! The enemy won't wait forever. Q-1!"

"Yes?"

"Are you on schedule?"

"Yes."

"I see. P-1, P-2, and P-3, 2 Sutherlands will reach your position in 56 seconds." Lelouch paused for dramatic effect before adding, "Shoot them through the wall." Instantly, Tamaki started laughing.

"You really are a jokester, aren't you? C'mon Ohgi, this guy is a joke! Let's just go out there and whip their asses!" Lelouch reminded himself to punish this imbecile if he ever becomes his subordinate.

"Everyone, double-check your weapons." Ohgi ordered, much to Tamaki's surprise. His finger eagerly hovered over the trigger button._ "Soon, those Britannians will know our pain!"_

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto G-1**

"Enemy spotted at point F-31!" a man called out. Clovis smirked.

_"What do they take me for, an idiot?"_ "A feint eh? How pedestrian. Bartley!" Clovis yelled at his subordinate.

"Yes, your highness! Tell Laso Squad to move in. Have Uvian and Valery strike from the rear!" he ordered.

* * *

Lelouch was closely watching his radar for the enemies. On it, he could see 2 Sutherlands approaching P Squad's position. Excitement filled him. _"Finally, I can strike back!"_ By his estimates, the enemies' Sutherlands would be behind the wall he told P Squad to shoot at in 34 seconds. _"This is also a test of loyalty. If they are people capable of helping me in my revolution, they would not question my orders. If they are disciplined and well-trained, they'd know that soldiers would obey first and ask later."_ The enemies were about to reach his comrades so Lelouch spoke into his radio, "Enemies are about to reach the kill position in 18 seconds. Shoot on my mark!" Fortunately, they all obeyed without a fuss, even that idiot Tamaki. _"Almost there."_ Lelouch smiled devilishly. _"Yes, waltz into my trap, fools."_ He decided that it was time to start the countdown. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1, MARK!" he yelled. He looked at the radar and was pleased. Two of the enemies IFF signals disappeared and were replaced with LOST. Lelouch could only smirk at his victory. _"So the game begins." _His smile widened. _"Shall we play, Clovis? Let's see if you've improved after all these years."_

* * *

Ohgi's group could see the cockpits being ejected into the sky and couldn't help but cheer.

"We did it!"

"Hell yeah!"

"We got them Brits all right!"

"Everyone calm down!" Ohgi said, being the calm and rational person he is. "This is just one of many! We haven't won anything yet!" Ohgi's logic caused the happiness to die down in the group. The radio crackled out,

"He is right. However under my leadership, this can be just one of many battles you can win. I'll ask this again-do you trust me?" Zero's question lingered in the air. No one responded for several seconds before Ohgi replied,

"In all my time as a terrorist, I have never achieved anything remarkable. When you joined, I thought you were the one that can turn the tides in our struggle against. Only under your leadership can we truly hope to defeat the Britannians!" Ohgi turned to the rest of the resistance cell. "We must have faith in this Zero character! Before this, we were nothing, just a few insignificant terrorists. We all have to admit: We had no chance to drive Britannian out of our country! But with him." Ohgi gestured to the radio. "With him, we can actually win! We have accomplished little prior to this battle. Destroying 2 Sutherlands is a feat bigger than all our previous one's combined!" Ohgi paused before stating, "Zero could've killed all of us by now, but he hasn't. He has trusted us with these knightmares, and he deemed us worthy of his leadership. I say that only with Zero can our dream become reality. He is our only hope. If we don't take this chance, if we don't take the initiative and defeat Britannia here and now, our dream of defeating Britannia will remain a dream!" Ohgi took a deep breath before saying to the radio, "I will follow you, Zero."

For about a minute, silence ruled over the group. No one spoke, waiting to hear Zero's response. Suddenly, a quiet chuckling could be heard. Slowly, it escalated until it was full-blown laughter. The laughter then slowly died. "Ohgi, you truly are natural leader. I appreciate your speech, but I cannot have just one man following me. As a group, you all need to make a decision." Understanding what he said, Ohgi turned to his comrades.

"Our only chance is with him! It's either now or never! This decision can be the one free Japan's imprisonment!" The group was silent once again. Then, one lone voice said,

"Zero! Zero! Zero!" This chanting then quickly spread, until around 50 people were chanting, "ZERO! ZERO! ZERO!" Ohgi smiled at the scene.

"Well, Zero?"

"Very well then, let us achieve victory here!" The terrorists quickly voiced their approval.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto G-1**

Men were furiously scrambling around the room while Clovis eyed at the scene with barely concealed anger. The once calm painters is, to be frank, pissed off at his pathetic excuse of an army. _"Damn those terrorists! At this rate, our forces will be defeated and Code R will be compromised." _He looked at the radar and saw the single red dot. This caused him to remember that his ass was getting beaten by a single unit. _"How is this possible? Not even the Knight of One, the strongest knight in the empire, can hold off this many enemies. It's clear that the pilot is skilled so I just have to increase my numbers. Gahhh, why can"t it just roll over and die like the bug it is?"_ "Bartley, surround that unit!" He pointed at the single red IFF signal. "Use Quincy's squad and crush it!"

"B-but your highness, that will break our formation!"

"Then spread our forces to cover the breach! This failure is unacceptable!" Clovis icily glared at his men, who were sweating bullets.

"Y-yes, your highness!"

* * *

Lelouch looked at the positioning of Clovis's forces and nearly laughed. _"Well that's a more stupid move than I expected. But then again, Clovis never was a thinker. He always did use brute force when he and Clovis played chess at Aries Villa. Even when I started with less pieces Clovis still lost. I guess it"s time to show him that he doesn"t belong on the battlefield." _"Q-1, do you have a map of the ghetto?

"Yes, but it has no current landmarks," she replied.

"It'll do," he said dismissively. "Take N Group and P Group and head underground. On my mark, aim your slash harkens at the ceiling and collapse it!"

"Understood!" she replied.

* * *

"Good, send in Burts and the others and surround it!" Clovis pointed at the lone red dot. "The enemy's' main force is centered on that unit. If we surround and concentrate fire on it, the enemy will be crippled!" Clovis watched in anticipation as his forces converged on that dot. Suddenly, said dot disappeared. "What, where is it?" he yelled. Soldiers sent in reports that the enemy disappeared. What he saw next shocked him.

* * *

"With this, I call check," Lelouch said calmly as he twirled the king piece in his hand.

* * *

"G-gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Clovis's forces in the battlefield screamed in terror as the ground beneath them collapsed. The knightmares did nothing to protect them as cockpits were crushed along with the pilots inside. When the dust cleared, nothing was left

* * *

Lelouch laughed maniacally. "HAHAHAHA MY PLAN WORKED, DIDN'T IT? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I CAN DO IT! I CAN DEFEAT BRITANNIA!" He continued laughing at the success of his plan.

* * *

Clovis and his men could only gape as over a third of his forces were destroyed in an instant. Their eyes were wide in fear as they tried to comprehend what was happening. Clovis stepped back as if the mystical force that destroyed his forces was coming for him next. _"Who in the hell am I up against? H-he's even better than Tohdoh! I bet that he can even take on Cornelia as well. I haven't been beaten this badly since when I challenged Schneizel to a game of chess." _He could only collapse onto his knees at his realization. _"I-I-I-I'm...done for." _He lost hope until a familiar face showed up on the screen.

"Why, heeeelloooo, your highness!" a blue-haired scientist said with glee in his voice.

"What is the meaning of this? We're in the middle of an operation!" Bartley exclaimed, clearly annoyed.

"I believe it's time for the A-6 Special Weapon to be deployed, considering we're getting our asses handed to us." Lloyd reasoned. A few minutes earlier and Clovis wouldn't have even considered the offer. However, he realized the situation he was in and decided that desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Can your toy beat them, Lloyd? Will it win?" Clovis asked. Most people wouldn't have noticed but he was _really _hoping the answer was yes. _"If their toy can beat these terrorists, I may be able to salvage this situation I'm in right now."_

Lloyd was not happy that his dear Lancelot was being called a toy and frowned in disapproval. "Please your highness, be so kind as to refer to it as Lancelot."

* * *

"OHH CEEEEECIIIIIILLLEEEE!" Lloyd cheerfully said. "We have permission to launch the Lancelot!"

"Fantastic! Suzaku?" Cecile said into her earpiece

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"We're ready to deploy. Have you read the manual?"

"Uhhh...pretty much." Suzaku said quickly, too embarrassed to admit that he actually used said manual as a pillow for a short nap and only read how to use its basic functions. He noticed a line of saliva on his chin before anyone noticed. _"For Lelouch's sake, I must defeat the terrorists! Hopefully, he's already gotten out of here." _Suzaku zipped up his pilot suit and entered the Lancelot's cockpit. He sat on the seat and put his hands on the controls. _"It's like to simulator,"_ he noticed. Suzaku put the white and gold knightmare activation key into the console. Immediately, the console responded, and Suzaku tensed his body in anticipation for the upcoming battle.

"Suzaku," Cecile's voice said over the radio. "The Lancelot will only have its slash harkens and blaze luminous shield for combat since it's a prototype model."

"Understood," he responded. _"Guess I didn't need to read the manual after all."_ Suzaku grinned at his luck.

"Remember, this is an actual battle. Simulators can only account for so many variables."

"Don't worry Cecile, I'll be fine," he reassured.

"Very well then, don't be reckless." He heard Cecile input some commands. "Lloyd, initial startup complete. The OS is working perfectly, and the weapons have been calibrated. Energy filler status is at 100%. Core Luminous functioning at 97% of its potential. Yggdrasil Drive has been activated and is operating as anticipated. Man-machine interface initiated. Primary and auxiliary power generators functioning at full capacity. All systems green, Lloyd." Lloyd's voice the said,

"Well this is only a prototype so it'll have to do. Ready, Suzaku?"

"Yes."

"Very well then. Cecile?" The person in question inputted a few more commands into the console.

"You are now authorized to launch, Suzaku." Suzaku took a deep breath and prepared himself for the battle ahead.

"Lancelot, M.E. Boost activate!"

"Z-01 Lancelot, now launching!" The Lancelot's landspinners activated, and the knightmare zoomed into the ghetto and disappeared from sight a seconds later.

* * *

Tamaki was having a bad day. Apparently it was his fault that the plan failed, which is complete BS in his opinion, and now they're following orders from some random voice that saved them from imminent doom. Way too convenient if you ask him. _"Stupid Ohgi," _he thought. _"Not my fault we"re in this fucking trapped in here."_ He stopped mentally ranting when he saw an enemy Sutherland in the distance. He forgot everything as his anger at Britannia rose to the surface. "DAMN BRIT!" he yelled as he fired his KMF assault rifle at the enemy. Tamaki must've been lucky because it only took his 5 and a half clips on ammunition to destroy the knightmare. "BOOYAHH. SUCK ON THAT BRITS!"

Unfortunately, Tamaki was so distracted by his victory that he didn't notice the white knightmare right behind him. The white knightmare used its slash harkens to hit the auto-eject mechanism between the cockpit and the knightmare itself.

"Wait, WHAT?!" Only after hearing the alarm blaring, and the many warning signs on the screens in the cockpit did he stop celebrating. "OH SHIIIIITTTT!" he screamed as his cockpit soared through the skies.

* * *

Lelouch was still laughing crazily. _"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA BRITANNIA WILL FALL! I WILL RAZE HIS DAMN EMPIRE TO THE GROUND USING THIS POWER!"_ He was interrupted from his maniacal musings when his radio crackled to life.

"This is B Squad! Reporting enemy reinforcements!" Lelouch immediately frowned.

_"Reinforcements? Well this is war so of course things would be different." _He picked up the radio and said, "Status?"

"Five units ejected. It destroyed them like it was nothing!" Lelouch grew more concerned with every word.

"Enemy numbers?"

"Just one! I think it's a new model; we've never seen anything like it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The message ended with a loud and prolonged scream. Lelouch grimaced.

"What's happening out there?" he yelled. However, no one responded. _"Damn, B Squad just got wiped out." _Lelouch used his factospheres and focused on the area where B Squad was destroyed. An image of a white and gold knightmare came in to view on his monitors. "A new knightmare?" The knightmare then engaged with R Squad. He saw the terrorists shoot at the knightmare but the shots were stopped by some green force field on its forearm. "It can deflect bullets?" he asked. His eyes narrowed as he tried to find its weakness. _"It doesn"t seem to have any additional armaments besides the shield and its slash harkens. Therefore, CQC would be its only option," _Lelouch deduced. With newfound confidence, he picked up his radio and said, "N Squad, engage the white knightmare and keep your distance. N Squad, continue firing at it and slowly fall back!" He switched the channel on his radio. "P Squad, rendezvous with N Squad at point G-4! Q-1, you as well!"

"Understood." Ohgi, the leader of P Squad, replied.

"Fine," Kallen reluctantly said.

_"Let's see how you handle this," _Lelouch thought as his eyes narrowed to observe the battle.

* * *

The Lancelot used its slash harkens to launch itself in the air. Suzaku maneuvered the knightmare to spin around while moving towards the enemy knightmare. The Sutherland fired its rifle, but every round missed its target. Knowing the victory was unattainable, the pilot ejected to safety just before the Lancelot kicked the Sutherland with its landspinner and causing it to explode. _"Yes, I can do this! With the Lancelot, I can stop all of this!" _Suzaku stated passionately. He had walked through fields of corpses seven years ago, and the scene before him reminded Suzaku of the destruction he once witnessed. _"I was powerless before. But now…"_

He spotted another knightmare shooting at him and used his slash harkens to destroy it. _"Lelouch, wait for me. I"m coming for you, my friend!"_ Suzaku was about to perform his signature spin kick to destroy another Sutherland, but was interrupted by several bullets hitting the back of the Lancelot.

"KUUUUUUUUURUUUUUUUUUUURUUUUUUUUUUUGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Lloyd's voice screamed through the intercom. To be honest, Suzaku couldn't care less about what his superiors thought of him right now, but he needed to apologize to shut the man up.

"I'M SORRY MR. ASPLUND! I PROMISE THAT THE LANCELOT WILL NOT GET DAMAGED ANY FURTHER! HEY, HOW'S THAT COMBAT DATA YOU'RE GETTING?" Suzaku quickly said.

"Actually, the combat data is just fine! Your performance readings are off the charts! When this is over, I would like to make you the Lancelot's devicer. You're the last component needed for my Lancelot" A loud thump could be heard—"OW!"

"LLOYD!" Cecile scolded. Silently, Suzaku chuckled to himself. It was nice having relaxed superiors that didn't care that he was an Eleven. The radio went silent after Lloyd was repeatedly hit and lectured about his poor social skills. Suzaku continued dodging the many bullets that were coming his way.

_"They're trying to surround me. At this rate, I'll be completely overwhelmed." _He engaged his Blaze Luminous shield and charged at the knightmares in front of him while dodging the stream of bullets coming from behind him. The enemies in front of him kept shooting, but their efforts were in vain. Suzaku launched himself into the air and swung his slash harkens at the enemies. He made sure to hit the auto-eject mechanism on their machines; He wasn't a merciless killer. After taking out two enemies, he punched another and destroyed it. The last knightmare frantically tried to flee, but Suzaku's landspinner collided with its frame and hit the Yggrasil Drive.

"Grrrrrrrrr." Suzaku hissed as his side exploded in pain. "I just need"—he took a breath—"to hold out a little longer." He shot another slash harken at the last knightmare in front of him, causing the now useless machine to fall. Satisfied, Suzaku turned his attention to the terrorists behind him.

* * *

Lelouch's mouth was on the floor as he tried to comprehend the scene before him. _"It just annihilated N Squad," _he thought. His clenched his teeth in anger as the tide of the battle was being turned back into Clovis's favor. As much as he hated to admit it, there was no possible way that he could win. The white knightmare single-handedly destroyed B Squad, N Squad, and R Squad, a total of 18 knightmares. At the rate it's going at, all his forces will be destroyed.

He didn't want to retreat, but his choices were to either continue fighting and die along with the terrorists, or retreat and find a way to contact the terrorists. Ultimately, Lelouch was choosing either his pride or his life. Sighing, he reluctantly picked up his radio. "P Squad and Q-1, retreat!" The gasps of surprise could be heard over the radio. "At this rate, all of us will be defeated. I suggest you retreat and take care of those Sutherlands." Many people argued that they could defeat the white knightmare until a sole voice of reason cut through the chatter.

"Everyone, he's right! That knightmare defeated all the others. What chance do we have against it?" Lelouch smiled to himself. Finally, someone with a brain. "We must live to fight another day! Remember, we may lose this battle, but the war can still be won!"

_"He's very charismatic. No wonder he's their leader."_ Lelouch turned off his radio and watched his forced retreat. _"I need to stop Clovis and this damn massacre!"_ He said through gritten teeth. He was about to go to the G-1 Clovis was in, but he noticed that the white knightmare was looking directly at him. A second later, the knightmare was closing in on his location at an amazing speed. "Shit," Lelouch swore.

* * *

**10 minutes later**

Clovis was having the time of his life right now. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Clovis continued laughing like a mad mad at the situation. He had just turned the entire situation around. Prior to the launch of Asplund's toy, he was actually afraid of the measly terrorists. He, Clovis la Britannia, the 3rd Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, afraid of _terrorists!_ "Gentlemen, that's is how you win a battle," Clovis announced as he gestured to the retreating terrorists on the radar. "I suggest that you become more competent, or I will have your heads! To think that a prince should be helping his suboridantes do their jobs." Clovis scowled at the thought. "Such work is below me," he said arrogantly. "I can make you miracles such as this one that we have witnessed, but I'd prefer it if you actually did what you're paid to do."

"Yes, your highness!" his men said, trying hard not to point out the act that he did absolutely nothing to help the situation.

* * *

"Dammit," Lelouch cursed under his breath. He was being chased by the white knightmare after it had spotten him in his perch, and for a novice pilot, he was doing a great job at evading the knightmare. He jerked his machine to the left then to the right in order to dodge the slash harkens coming his way. He turned around and fired several bullets at the knightmare only for them to be blocked.

_"I'm still alive," _Lelouch commented. _"Maybe my mother's blood runs strongly within me. It could also be those military-grade knightmare simulators I won off some noble a few years back." _Lelouch continued running away from his enemy as he tried to think of a plan. _"I need to get to Clovis so I can stop this massacre. However…"_ Lelouch dodged what seemed like the 100th slash harken that went his way. "Grrr think Lelouch, think! It's only a matter of time before he gets me. Your king is being pursued around the board by the Queen. What do you do?" As he pondered that question, he remembered one of the many questions he asked his brother, Schneizel, about chess.

* * *

**8 Years Ago**

Lelouch stared hard at the chessboard before him. He was currently losing by a fairly large margin, and it was only a matter of time before Schneizel would put him in checkmate. His king was currently being chased around the board by the 2nd Prince's queen. The only other pieces on his side were two pawns and a knight, while Schneizel still has a rook, bishop, and 4 pawns. He was thinking about a way to win but the prodigious strategist couldn't come up with a solution. So he did the next thing that came to his mind: ask Schneizel.

"Brother Schneizel, what would you do if your king is being hunted down by the opponent's queen?" he asked as he gestured to the game between them. Schneizel flashed a knowing smile before answering his brother's question.

"Why the only think you _can_ do, of course."

"And what would that be?" Lelouch inquired. His brother gave him a small smile before saying,

"You GTFO, Lelouch."

"GTFO?"

"Yes, you GTFO. In other words, run away." Lelouch frowned at the lack of wisdom in his brother's words.

"That's not exactly going to help, brother Schneizel." The older brother chuckled mirthfully.

"Trust me, Lelouch. Knowing when to GTFO is an essential skill. For example, if you just walked in on father having sex, you GTFO. If Euphy's crying, and Cornelia sees that you're the only other person in the room, you GTFO. If you're working with terrorists in order to create a gentler world for your blind and cripped sister, and you're being chased by a white and gold knightmare, you GTFO." By the time Schneizel was finished talking about when to GTFO, Lelouch already had a notepad and pencil out and was taking notes on his brother's words.

"I see," Lelouch said as he took in Schneizel's words. _"If this is a skill I must learn in order to be successful, I will master it!" _he thought with determination evident in his eyes. His older brother looked at his younger sibling and couldn't help but be proud of him. "Brother Schneizel, someday, I will master how to GTFO and be the best there ever was!" he announced. The older prince ruffled his hair and lightly chuckled.

"I'm sure you will, Lelouch."

* * *

_"Well I don't know about the gentler world part," _Lelouch thought. He let hid thoughts wonder back to his current predicament. _"How has that knightmare not caught up with me, yet? Perhaps the machine was damaged, or is the pilot injured?"_

In an effort to slow the enemy knightmare, Lelouch turned his machine around and put it in reverse. While retreating away, he fired his rifle at the buildings around him and hoped the debris would crush it. However, the extremely agile machine simply dodged every single one and continued pursuing him. Disappointed, Lelouch rotated his knightmare back forwards and revved the machine to its maximum speed. "Dammit, that thing's unstoppable!" He focused on trying to get out of the situation, but a voice over an open channel disturbed his thoughts.

"Bastard! How dare you destroy things for no reason; those are people's homes!" Lelouch could immediately tell he was hurt from his voice.

_"So my suspicions are correct. Well, if he wants to argue about all this destruction, then so be it." _"The Britannian military has no right to talk about destroying peoples' homes! All you guys do is destroy, not once have you actually rebuilt!" Memories of fields of bloody corpses passed through Lelouch's mind as he continued arguing with the enemy pilot.

"You are doing the same here! You're no better!"

"Actually, I am better. These are no longer homes, but they are buildings. The difference between a home and a building is that a home is a place where one can be sheltered and can return to. All the people here are dead! Care to guess why?!"

"This is all your fault! If you hadn't stolen the poison gas, we wouldn't have had to come here!"

"An entire massacre of a ghetto cannot be justified!"

"If you want to change Britannia, then change it from within! You have to work with the system; despicable methods will gain you nothing!" At this point, Lelouch was getting tired of the idealistic imbelice that he's fighting.

_"Seriously? Work with the system?"_ "Are you kidding me? You can't work _with_ the system if the system itself is corrupt! Look at this massacre!" He gazed at their battlefield. Homes destroyed. Corpses littered the streets. Blood everywhere. "This is what your leaders have caused!"

* * *

Suzaku paused for a moment as he contemplated the man's voice. _"Can I really change Britannia? If what the guy's saying is true, then Prince Clovis was lying to us. Is change really possible?"_ Unfortunately, his musing was cut short when his opponent took notice of his hesitation and suddenly turned around and to fire at him. Suzaku, with his god-like reflexes, jerked his machine to the right and to avoid the hail of bullets coming his way. However, he grimaced as gunfire hit his landspinners, and the Lancelot fell over from the lack of a propulsion system.

"Dammit!" Suzaku cursed as he punched the monitor in frustration. "Grrr, they're getting away!"

"KURURUGI!" his eccentric superior's voice screamed through the radio. "MY LANCELOT IS DAMAGED BECAUSE OF YO—" Luckily, Cecile intervened and Suzaku heard a roll of paper used to smack his boss's head.

"Sorry, Suzaku! Unfortunately, your landspinners aren't functioning right now. I'm afraid that we'll have to pick you up." Suzaku frowned at the trouble that he was causing his superiors.

"I'm really sorry Ms. Cecile. Forgi—"

"It's okay, Suzaku. I was a pilot once so I know that mishaps like this happen time to time," Cecile's kind voice interrupted. Seeing that he might be a while before he can be retrieved, Suzaku relaxed his the cockpit and thought of the man's words once again.

_"You can't work with the system if the system itself is corrupt!" _The man's voice echoed.

* * *

Kallen hurried back to her group's hideout along with the remains of the resistance cell. _"Only if that white knightmare hadn"t come along, we would've won!" _Victory was a thought that was seldomly thought by the Japanese. Britannia had crushed them when they invaded, and countless Japanese are abused everyday by them. It was only logical for Kallen to be pissed off when victory had been offered to her on a silver platter, only for it to be snatched back. "Dammit, and we were so close too," she muttered as she entered the hideout. _"At least we managed to hide those Sutherlands in the tunnels where the Britannians can"t find them."_ Her thoughts then turned to the person who gave them the instructions to hide their new knightmares. _"Just who is this "Zero"?" _She was going to continue her thinking when loud chatter and yelling caused her to cover her ear drums. She turned to the loudest person in the crowd, which she knew without a doubt was Tamaki.

"Tamaki, SHUT THE HELL UP!" she screamed at her obnoxious, loud-mouthed friend. Said person turned to face the red-head with an irritated expression on his face.

"Not my fault, Kallen! Everyone won't shut the hell up!" he pointed out while waving his gun the air to further show his exasperation.

"It your fault! This is what happens when we oppose the Britannians!" one voice accused.

"What?! Grrrr, why you gutless coward!" he growled back.

"How many people were killed because of us?!" another exclaimed.

"Shut up! Do you know how many of us were killed or captured, do ya?!" The crowd continued to bicker and fight until a powerful and commanding voice silenced the group.

"Enough! Everyone keep quiet so the Britannians don't find us. We must keep calm!" he commanded, skills from his teaching days coming back to him. He turned to the red-head next to him. "Kal—"

"No, Ohgi. I don't have any ideas on who Zero is, and I'm pretty sure you don't either," she said. "Is there a way we can track him down?"

"Yes, Kallen. I can definitely find out the identity of a man with only his voice as a clue," he answered sarcastically. Unfortunately, this earned him a playful punch (But it still hurt like hell) from the feisty girl. "Sheesh, control your anger. I was only joking."

"Oh? Are you telling me that you got hurt by a light punch from an innocent, little girl?" She batted her best I'm-innocent-and-harmless eyes at him for extra effect, which quickly won the exchange for her.

"If only you weren't so cute," Ohgi said.

"Well I am so deal with it," she countered. Ohgi was going to make a retort, but a wall was destroyed, sending debris and dust all over the place. Everyone covered their eyes as dirt and dust assaulted the members of the resistance cell.

After several seconds, Kallen and Ohgi lowered their arms to look at the source of the destruction, only to be staring down the main barrel of a tank.

Tamaki pointed his gun at the tank in a futile attempt to intimidate the Britannian soldiers. "I told ya, Ohgi! Instead of following someone we _don"t even know_, we should've use the fucking poison gas!" he complained. Ohgi ignored him and analyzed the situation.

"Damn, we're trapped in here." He turned to the hot-tempered teen next to him. "Kallen, get out of here!" he hissed.

"No way, Ohgi! I'm not leaving you behind!"

"You have to live! If not for me, then for Naoto!"

"There's no way I can get out of here, Ohgi. We're surrounded!" she said.

_"Damn it, she's right."_ Ohgi felt tears run down his face as memories of him, Kallen, and Naoto flooded his mind. _"I'm so sorry Naoto. I couldn't protect her." _His crying stopped however, when he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Ohgi. You didn't fail; I did, or rather Tamaki did," she quietly said with a chuckle. Ohgi chuckled in response, then turned his attention back to the Britannians.

"So this is where you Eleven scum have ran off to. Hmph, all troups, prepare to fire!" He raised his right hand as soldiers cocked their rifles and aimed at the terrorists.

"On my mark! Three! Two! One!"

_"I'm sorry, Naoto!"_

"Mar—"

"Attention all forces, cease fire at once!" the familiar voice of Clovis commanded through the radio. Instantly, everyone looked at the radio in surprise. Why would Clovis command a cease-fire? "I, Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and royal viceroy of Area 11, hereby you to cease fire at once! All destruction of any buildings or property will be cease, as well! All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, will be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered to cease fire at once! I shall allow no further fighting!"

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto G-1**

The lights were off in the command G-1 as Clovis la Britannia looked at the intruder who forced him to order the cease-fire. "Well, are you satisfied?"

"Very, well done," the man praised. He stepped forward into the light where Clovis could see him. It was a soldier in a standard combat suit. He had his helmet on so Clovis couldn't see his face. More importantly, he held a gun in his hand, which was unfortunately pointed at the prince. Seeing no other options, Clovis propped his arm on the armrest on his throne and rested his head on his hand and waited for what the man had to say.

"So what do you want to do now? Sing a few lively songs? Perhaps some tea and scones? Shall I introduce you to some lovely women? Or maybe I can interest you in a game of chess?" he said. The man stepped closer to Clovis, gun still pointed directly at him.

"Chess? Now that has a familiar ring to it." Surprised, Clovis raised his eyebrow.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You don't remember? We used to play chess together when we were boys at Aries Villa. Of course, I would always win." At the mention of Aries Villa, Clovis tensed and started panicking.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" he demanded. Before he could make any further inquiries, the man cocked his gun, which meant "shut up, or I'll blow your brains out."

"You don't remember? I'm hurt," he said sarcastically. Clovis's mind was racing to try and remember of a boy from his childhood who had a grudge against him. Sadly, he doesn't remember the man's identity. Who would have a grudge against Clovis, the playful painter anyway? Thanfully, the man stepped into the light where Clovis could see me. The man, no boy that was threatening him was a _very_ familiar face from his childhood.

"Lelouch?" he muttered, clearly surprised. Was this boy really him? His eyes were as large as saucers, and he quickly stood up and leaned closer to the boy to see if it was truly his long-lost younger brother.

"Yes, you're indeed correct Clovis. It's been a while, big brother." Lelouch stepped forward and kneeled in front of Clovis with his right arm behind his back, and his left arm straight across his chest. Clovis could only gape as his brother looked up and paralyzed him with his large, mystical, amethyst eyes. "The eldest son of the late consort Marianne and 17th in line to the imperial throne. Lelouch vi Britannia at your service," he announced.

The shock at seeing his exiled sibling was too much for Clovis, and he subconsciously took a step back.

"But you're de—"

"Dead? Oh I can assure you that I'm very much alive, Clovis." They joy of seeing his big brother again was outweighed by the danger he was in. They were alone in a dark room, and Lelouch was armed while Clovis was not. Judging from Lelouch's expression and tone, this wasn't going to end well for Clovis. "I have returned your highness, and I've come back to change everything."

"I'm overjoyed, L-Lelouch. W-we should d-depart for the mainland immediately," Clovis said shakily. The gun pointed right at his head didn't exactly help either. "They said you died when Britannia invaded, but I knew that my younger brother wouldn't die that easily." Unfortunately for Clovis, flattery didn't work on Lelouch.

"And why should I do that? So that pathetic excuse of a father can use me as his pawn again?!" With each word, Lelouch's anger and voice rose. Just thinking of _that_ man sickened him. "You seem to have forgotten, Clovis. Perhaps I can recall your memory." He lowered his weapon, but left the safety disengaged so Clovis wasn't safe yet. "Marianne vi Britannia held the title of Knight of Honor, but was a commoner by birth. No doubt that the other imperial consorts held her in contempt. Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists, I'm no fool." Lelouch raised his gun and jammed the barrel into Clovis's forehead. "YOU PEOPLE KILLED MY MOTHER!"

"L-Lelouch, it wasn't me!" Surprisingly, Lelouch stepped back and lowered the gun.

"Oh, we'll find out soon, big brother," Lelouch said. The thought of how he was going to get the truth scared Clovis.

"W-what will you do?" he asked nervously. At this question, Lelouch only smirked.

"First, I'll force the truth out of you. Then, I'll discredit your name." Lelouch grinned evilly as he activated his power.

* * *

**10 minutes later**

When Lelouch's power deactivated, Clovis tensed in fear at the sight of the gun pointed directly at him. He recalled that Lelouch wanted to know who killed his mother and immediately spoke, "I SWEAR LELOUCH! IT WASN'T ME!" He hid behind his raised arms in an attempt to escape from his brother's intense gaze. Fortunately, Lelouch lowered his gun and stepped forward. Clovis sighed in relief but his fears came back to him as Lelouch put the barrel of his firearm directly on his head. "Y-you intend to kill me?! But we're brothers!"

"You've changed Clovis,' he said solemnly."Why did you kill all these people?" he asked calmly, trying very hard to hide the disgust in his voice.

"They're w-were just E-Elevens," he reasoned.

"Elevens?!" Lelouch spat out the word. "How disgusting, Clovis."

"You're going to kill me?! You monster!" Clovis screamed in anger. Lelouch didn't even flinch at his tone.

"I will burn _his_ empire to the ground, and I'll start with you." He cocked the gun. "I will create a new world, a peaceful one. But as long as _he _stands in my way, that world cannot be created. If I have to stain my hands with evil to destroy evil, then so be it. If my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. If it will give me the power to change this world, then I will welcome the darkness with open arms! If the world will not change, then I, a king, will destroy it and create it anew!"

"P-please Lelouch, don't do it!"

"Goodbye, Clovis." A single bullet embedded itself into the prince's skull, commencing the start of his revolution.

* * *

**Tokyo National Airport**

**1:07 AM**

The cold air attacked a young girl's coat relentlessly. The moon shined its light on two figures: a young 17 year-old girl, and a well-built man in his 30s. Both of them had just gotten off their private airplane and were waiting patiently for their ride to pick them up. The man and the teen were dressed very nicely. The girl wore a fleece jacket and a white blouse underneath. Unfortunately, her thigh-long skirt did little to protect her from the merciless cold. The moonlight shined beautifully off her dazzling blond hair, and her striking blue, cerulean eyes made the moon itself envious. Her face revealed nothing, and her posture was that of a princess's.

Beside her, the man was wearing a formal black and white business suit, which hid his large muscles well. His gaze was cold and calculating, and he was alert for any possible dangers to his charge.

"If I may ask, Leona, why are we here?" the man asked politely. The girl smiled, and turned to her guard.

"Why, for Lelouch vi Britannia, of course," she said, a predatory glint in her eye.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was long. _Very long._ At least you guys have a lot of material to read. Moving on, let's talk about the fanfic itself. Regarding the story, I do have a lot of ideas on what to do with it. If all goes well, this story should be deviating from canon in a few more chapters (which won't be nearly as long). ****For pairings, I haven't decided yet. Mostly likely, this will be a LelouchxHarem or a C. story, but no gurantees. Oh and there won't be a romantic relationship between Suzaku and Lelouch, which will either be a godsend or disappointment depending on your tastes. ****Updates will be about once a month if all goes well. ****Once again, I encourage you guys to review and ask questions. Even if you're just going to bash me, just review. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, my first chapter got a lot more support than I anticipated. Thank you for your support! It really does mean a lot to me. **

**I'd would've liked to get this chapter out earlier, but TBH I'm lazy…**

**Some of you are concerned about my decision to include an OC, which are normally not well received. I'll try to implement her well, but if any of you are like "OMFG OC! DIE IN HELL!" then it'd be best if you left now. **

**I'm going to attempt to develop Lelouch and my OC in this chapter. Let me know if it actually works out.**

**Expect the story to stick somewhat closely to canon for now. I'm still trying to get the hang on writing fanfiction.**

**Well, that's about it. Time for a new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, I'd have Suzaku executed, and his bloody corpse fed to werewolves.**

**EDIT: 10/27 to 11/2—I _think _I fixed ****everything ****about Leona's past and character and clarified a few aspects on her childhood. Hopefully, the naysayers will decrease in numbers. Also, holy fuck. I made Leona superior to Cornelia even though she's a decade older. I must've been tired...**

* * *

**Pendragon Imperial Palace**

**2010 a.t.b.**

**(A/N: Don't worry if you get confused by this first part.)**

"Introducing his highness, Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince of the Empire!"

The large double doors opened, revealing a small, 10 year-old boy clad in a black and silver outfit. He gracefully entered the large room, ignoring the several gasps and pairs of eyes that targeted him. The loud chatter had been reduced to nothing by the boy's presence, the loud and rowdy people transformed to silent spectators by the aura the person radiated. Even the clamorous reporters were silenced. He slowly and deliberately walked towards the large man sitting on the throne, the emperor, in front of him. The boy's was unreadable and betrayed nothing as he calmly continued forward. The emperor eyed the boy, analyzing the boy's actions and expression. However, he could draw nothing from his son. The small but intimidating figure practically emitted confidence and power, reminding the man of his younger self. However, the emperor was not the only one to notice the sudden change in Lelouch's demeanor.

_Who is that?_

_Is that really him? _

_What happened?_

"Lelouch, is that really you?" a purple-haired woman quietly asked to herself. She was scrutinizing her younger half-brother, looking for any signs of the former Lelouch. Not finding anything, she began to weep silently, but a gentle hand rested on her shoulder.

"He's changed, Cornelia. He was going to have to learn how cruel the world is at some point in his life. It's unfortunate that he had to learn it now. Death changes everyone and can reduce the most hardened people into sobbing messes. The fact that he's composure is still intact is a testament of his will." Cornelia turned around to find her blond-haired older sibling, Schneizel, behind her with his hand on her shoulder in order comfort her slightly. "The best we can do is stick with him and pray that his mother's willpower is present within him as well." Cornelia nodded. Lelouch was a vi Britannia. He's the son of Marianne vi Britannia, one of the most admirable people that existed on the face of the Earth.

She smiled at her older brother, appreciating that he was trying to console her. Cornelia turned her attention back to Lelouch, but she was distracted by her younger sister at her side.

"Lelouch is so cool!" the pink-haired girl said.

"And he looks _fabulous_, as well. His choice in wardrobe is amazing!" said Cornelia's other blond sibling. Cornelia just sighed in exasperation.

"Clovis, Euphemia, just watch." All eyes turned to the Eleventh Prince as kneeled in front of the emperor.

"Good evening, your majesty. I have come, as you requested" He looked up to stare at his father in the eye.

"Tell me Lelouch, what do you think of Marianne's murder last week?" he asked in his deep, booming voice. _Let's see if you can pass my test, boy_, he thought.

"Marianne vi Britannia's murder was a prime example of failure," he replied. The emperor was stunned. He fully expected Lelouch to go on about how her murder was horrible and he should do something about it.

"You are…correct, my son. Marianne failed; she was weak. It seems that my blood runs far stronger in you than that woman's." At this point, Charles was improvising. Things aren't going according to his plans at all. _It seems that my son has me in checkmate_, he thought. However, Lelouch only chuckled at this response, which elicited several raised eyebrows, even from the emperor himself.

"Oh, you must be mistaken, you majesty"—he stood up and looked at his father right in the eye, amethyst orbs silently challenging violet eyes—"I'm referring to _your_ failure," he declared. The audience gasped at the young prince's audacity. The emperor clenched the arm rests on his throne in anger. How dare he?! "You, the emperor of the most powerful empire in the world, could not stop the murder to an innocent woman." Lelouch started walking up the stairs to the throne. No one made a move to stop him. Charles looked at his son and contemplated his words.

_I couldn't even stop my beloved wife from dying. Am I truly powerful?_ he thought. He raised his head to look at Lelouch in the eye, but instead found a tall seventeen year-old boy in a black and gold school uniform in his place.

"You are weak! You, the most powerful man in the world, are a despicable person and an even worse father!" the teen yelled.

_I-I am despicable. I am a terrible person. Am I even fit to be called a father?_ Charles thought. He paled at the realization. Tears flowed from his eyes like rivers cascading down a mountain. "I-I'm sorry, my son. I don't know what to say." He got off his throne, went on his kneed, and looked up at the young man before him with his tear-filled eyes. "I'm not going to ask for your forgiveness. Tell me, how can I atone?" He desperately wanted to get rid of the guilt in his evil-ridden heart. His son continued frowning at him.

"I believe we all know what needs to be done, father." Even though Lelouch didn't specifically mention it, Charles knew what had to be done. He recomposed himself and stepped forward.

The emperor looked at the sea of people before him and said, "People of Britannia! Today, I have seen the errors of my ways. I've realized that I was wrong. My ideology is wrong, my empire is wrong, my existence is wrong. My sins are despicable, and I can only hope to atone"—he took a deep breath—"As of today, I name Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, the 99th Emperor!" Cheers erupted from the audience at Charles's proclamation. He took a pistol of out his coat and pointed it his temple. "ALL HAIL LELOUCH!" The gun went off, and the 98th Emperor fell to the floor dead. However, the audience paid it no heed.

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

Lelouch just sat on his throne with his legs crossed, a smug grin on his face. The chanting continued until the doors were slammed open. Two figures stepped into the room, and Lelouch's jaw hit the floor. "Mother? Nunnally? You're healed?" Said people sprinted up to the newly proclaimed emperor and embraced him.

"Big brother, the doctors said it was a miracle!"

"Oh Lelouch! Thank you for getting read of daddy! I never liked him!" Lelouch just stood there, shocked at the events that were unfolding before him.

_Mother's alive? Nunnally's healed? It truly is a miracle!_ he rejoiced mentally. Marianne and Nunnally let go of Lelouch and went down to the base of the stairs where they kneeled.

"ALL HAIL HELOUCH!"

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

"L HAIL LELOUCH!"

"HAIL LELOUCH!

"AIL LELOUCH!"

"LELOUCH!" Lelouch frowned. Why is the chanting getting disoriented? Slowly, the sound of the crowd's cheering mixed together until it became one female voice. It seemed so familiar, but Lelouch wouldn't remember where he heard the voice from before.

Suddenly, the room disappeared, and Lelouch's surrounding became completely white. He flinched as he heard people speaking. He spun around and did a quick analysis of his surroundings and found nothing. Not knowing what was going on, Lelouch stood still and listened into the voices' conversation.

"Is this really necessary, Milly?"

"Of course!"

"Don't hurt him too bad, Madame President."

"Don't worry Shirley. I won't leave any bruises on you boyfriend's face."

"MADAME PRESIDENT!" Lelouch heard the sound of papers being rolled up and widened his eyes at the realization of what was happening.

"Shit."

THUMP!

**ASEEC Mobile Center**

"Ahhhhhh! Nothing like reading some YAIO fanfiction after a long day of work!" Suzaku leaned back on his chair and stared intently at the computer screen. "Hmmm, which one should I read now?"

THUMP!

"Huh, what was that? Someone must've gotten hit. I'd hate to be the person who's on the receiving end of that!"

* * *

**Dagobah**

THUMP!

"Hmmm, a disturbance in the force there was."

* * *

**Hyperbolic Time Chamber**

"Hey, maybe if I can scream loud enough, I can get back to the real world!" a short kid with long, spiky blond hair said.

"Don't be ridiculous!" a green-skinned man said.

THUMP! After the sound faded, a portal appeared.

"See, Piccolo?!"

* * *

**Valley of the End**

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

THUMP!

"AHHHHHH, MY EARS!"

"GAHHHHH I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!"

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" both teens said in unison.

* * *

**United States of America**

THUMP!

"What the hell? How did that get to here? I thought I was _writing_ this fanfic?!"

* * *

**High Hrothgar**

"Now Dragonborn, SHOW ME YOUR POWER!"

"FUS RO DAH!"

THUMP!

"BY THE GODS! THAT 'THUMP' IS EVEN MIGHTIER THAN YOUR VOICE, DRAGONBORN! YOU ARE NOW USELESS IF YOUR VOICE CAN BE SURPASSED! I WILL NOW KILL YOU WITH MY COMPLETELY USELESS AND IMBALANCED DESTRUCTION MAGIC!"

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

THUMP!

"OWWWWWWWWWWW! What the hell, Milly?!" Lelouch glared at the demon-disguised-as-a-teenager in front of him who was brandishing a roll of papers. He took the chance to scrutinize his surroundings and found that he was back in the Ashford Academy Student Council room. Regaining his bearings, he looked at the room's occupants.

First, there was Milly. Despite how cruel and abusive she can be, she is still one of Lelouch's closest friends and confidants. To a stranger, Milly would seem to a rude, bossy teen that did whatever she wanted due to her status as the principal's daughter, but Lelouch knew better. His childhood friend can certainly be those things at times, but she does have her good side. She is kind, caring, compassionate, and understanding, all good traits for a friend.

Milly is smart, kind, funny, rich, and confidant, characteristics that would make any normal girl mad with envy. Lelouch met Milly while he was still a Britannian prince in Pendragon. He doesn't remember much about how he met Milly. All he knew is that he asked her for a dance, and the night ended with him dripping wet, tuxedo shredded, and Milly rolling around on the floor laughing her ass off. After that night, Milly would stay in Ares Villa for several weeks and play with him and his siblings.

Eventually, Lelouch and Milly became close friends. When Lelouch escaped from the Kururugi Shrine, he sought the Ashfords for help, partially because he knew they were allies, and because Milly was there.

Lelouch's thoughts focused on his blue-haired friend, Rivalz who said, "Well consider in punishment for ditching me! Seriously, do you know how heavy that motorcycle is? Oh wait, what am I saying?" He kneeled before Lelouch and said with a mocking tone, "You have the physical strength of a child. Of course you wouldn't lift anything weighing over 100 pounds willingly. Forgive me for my ignorance, your highness." At the mention of the honorific, Lelouch froze. He knew that his friend was just joking around; nevertheless, it made him think of the time when he was a prince of the empire.

Rivalz Cardemonde is…well truth be told Lelouch doesn't know a lot about his friend. He was very laid-back, tended to joke a lot, his gambling buddy…and not much else. Oh, and he had blue hair. That's right, fucking blue hair. Aside from that, Rivalz always seemed to be more than your average high school student as if he was suppressing his true nature, but Lelouch has yet to discover what made Rivalz unique. Rivalz, despite his honest personality, preferred not to talk about certain things, mainly his upbringing.

The few times Lelouch mustered up the courage to ask his friend about his past, all he got were some pathetic attempts to change the subject. It's obvious even to someone like Shirley that the subject wasn't exactly pleasant if he refused to talk about it. But then again, Lelouch couldn't blame him. After all, his past isn't an enjoyable topic for him either.

Like Rivalz, he wore a mask to deceive his friends, something he would've preferred not to do, and didn't talk about his past. The entire school knew that Lelouch and Nunnally's pasts weren't something to bring up in a conversation. In fact, the matter even made the normally cheerful and up-beat Nunnally frown, something that anyone who knew her thought was impossible since the notion of Nunnally being upset was a preposterous as Lelouch being athletic.

"That's right, where were yesterday, Lulu?" the girl next to him asked, bringing Lelouch out of his stupor. When Lelouch refused to admit it, she started yelling at him. "LELOUCH LAMPEROUGE, I COMMAND YOU TO TELL ME WHERE YOU WERE!"

It was no surprise that she was this concerned for her not-so-secret crush. Her obsession with the Ice Prince was famous in the school, and she was probably his most devoted follower, which was saying a lot considering Lelouch's fan club. His regal and royal looks, icy but somehow kind façade, and astounding intelligence were quite renowned and drove girls to him by the dozen.

Back to Shirley, her next noticeable trait is her beauty, primarily her…bust size. According to the unofficial Ashford Academy magazine, she was ranked 3rd hottest female in the school, with the infamous Milly Ashford taking the top place, and the redhead Kallen Stadtfeld being the runner-up.

However in another edition of said media, she was in 2nd place for "Most Desirable Girl" because Kallen's illness prevented her from participating in more…rigorous activities. However, sans her appearance and obsession, the next thing one would notice was Shirley's pleasantness. She was kind and very enthusiastic about pretty much everything, even to some of Milly's ideas.

"I DEMAND ORDER IN THE COURT!" Everyone turned to the Student Council President. "We need to rebalance our budget, and we need to do it NOW!" She paused, and suddenly, her tone was dark and menacing. She pointed her finger at Rivalz. "If we don't, that'll be 50 lashes for you." The abusive president directed her evil smile towards Shirley. "You, Shirley Fenette, will give your body to me." Shirley blushed in embarrassment at the mention of her body, then audibly gulped as she realized what the punishment for failure would be.

Milly turned to the girl typing on her computer in the corner of the room. "And for you, I'll take your computer away FOR ETERNITY!"

Ahhh Nina. At a glance, Nina would seem like a xenophobic, which was true. Aside from the Student Council, Nina had no social life unless you counted going on online forums and ranting on about her hatred of the Japanese with other people a social life (Her impressive range of derogatory insults was the first thing he noted).

Naturally, Nina was shy and didn't trust others easily like Lelouch. She didn't converse with others often, even the Student Council, instead preferring the company of her computer where she went did research for some kind of work that involved Uranium isotopes. Whatever she was working on, Lelouch didn't press further into the matter since everyone had their secrets, him especially. After all, it wasn't like she was working on some bomb to decimate the Japanese.

Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina turned their heads towards Lelouch as they waited for what Milly would threaten him with. She walked towards the boy, bent down, and stared at him with her gorgeous blue eyes. "And for you, my dear vice president, if you fail,"—she paused dramatically—"Nunnally and I will have a bit of 'fun' tonight," she stated with her most evil grin plastered on her face.

Everyone scrambled and papers were sent flying as the Student Council rushed to complete their task.

**20 Minutes Later**

"I've never written so fast in my life; the lead on my pencil melted!

"She. Is. Such. A. PERVERT!"

"At least my lab data is safe."

"She may be the only person who can threaten Nunnally and get away with it..." The Student Council with the exception of Milly was walking back to class after their tortur-err meeting. They continued walking down the hallway, complaining about their slave dri-err Milly when Rivalz asked,

"So Lelouch, where _were_ you? You just disappeared!"

"Yeah, you also asked about Shinjuku. Why?" Shirley added. With Rivalz and Shirley suspicious of his activities, Lelouch needed to lie to them to ease their suspicions.

"Well you see Rivalz, I went after that truck that crashed. Unfortunately... I fell inside," Lelouch sheepishly added. His friends just shook their heads at the raven-haired teen.

"Lelouch, as noble as that is, that was dangerous!"

"Yeah, Lulu! What if you got hurt?!"

"And they might've been Elevens…" Lelouch grit his teeth at Nina's derogatory remark. However, he knew better than to comment on her beliefs. Nina as a xenophobic, and her history with Elevens didn't help with her opinions on them. Several years ago, Nina's parents were killed a terrorist attack. An Eleven terrorist group were blamed for the attack, and Nina's hated them ever since.

_Poor girl_, Lelouch thought. He noticed that his friends were looking at him and realized he hasn't answered them. "Well, I guess it was just a lapse of judgment," he said. "I noticed that nobody was helping so I took the initiative and went down there to help. After falling in, I waited until the truck stopped and snuck out. I walked to the nearest train station and rode one back home." Fortunately, they believed his lie. They continued walking down the hallway and arrived at their classroom. Instantly, they were bombarded with sounds of gunfire, screams, and new reports.

"They used poison gas?"

"Man, that's freaky. Shinjuku's only 30 minutes from here."

"Damn Elevens. They definitely got what they deserved."

"I saw smoke coming from the ghetto. It must've been the gas!" Once again, Shirley became suspicious of her crush and turned to Lelouch.

"Is that why you called me yesterday?" Lelouch nodded.

"Yeah, I heard the news from a friend of mine." Lelouch flashed a smile towards Shirley to help ease her worries, which worked. Shirley melted like ice in a hot summer day. Normally, Lelouch wouldn't dare to exploit his friends' weaknesses, but he made exceptions from time to time.

_It for your good, Shirley_, he thought. _I don't want my friends who've given me so much happiness to be caught a in my rebellion. As for Clovis's death, how long are they going to hide-_Lelouch realized his mishap too late, and his eyes widened as he recalled how he killed his own brother.

For a moment, he could see the fear in his brother's eyes, feel his rage give way to satisfaction when Clovis's blood splattered onto him, and the myriad of feelings that were fighting for dominance in his mind.

Was he supposed to be happy? Sad? Sickened? Satisfied? Clovis alienated him, so why did he feel regret when he pulled the trigger? Lelouch remembered what he said to him before his death.

_"I will burn__his__empire to the ground, and I'll start with you." He cocked the gun. "I will create a new world, a peaceful one. But as long as__he__stands in my way, that world cannot be created. If I have to stain my hands with evil to destroy evil, then so be it. If my conscience becomes a hindrance to me, then I will simply erase it. If it will give me the power to change this world, then I will welcome the darkness with open arms! If the world will not change, then I, a king, will destroy it and create it anew!"_

Do the ends truly justify the means? Was killing his own kin the right decision? Lelouch frowned. For all his intelligence, he wasn't quite that wise.

Feeling sick from the scenes of 3rd Prince's death playing in his mind, Lelouch excused himself, ran down the hallway (a leisurely jog by others' standards), and threw open the bathroom door.

Lelouch emptied his stomach's contents inside the sink and proceeded to wash his face clean of the grime. He looked at the mirror and frowned as he recollected his thoughts. _Am I really prepared for this? Am I willing to do anything and everything to change the world?_ Lelouch continued pondering the question. _Is becoming like my father the price I have to pay to change the world?_

* * *

**Tokyo Park**

"Well of course you want to find Lelouch. After all, he did beat you in chess and emptied your and my wallet afterwards," Butler commented rather mirthfully. Expectedly, her charge retaliated for his snide remark. What he didn't expect however was for her to use _that _technique. One so ancient, so legendary, so infamous and _extremely_ effective.

She rammed her steel-toed combat boots into his genitals.

The bodyguard immediately fell to the ground. The man clutched his throbbing privates in pain and hissed as the feeling didn't subside. Somehow, a part of his mind that wasn't processing the hurt in his nether region was impressed that she managed to turn around and execute a roundhouse kick to his testicles with surprising speed.

"Hmph," the blond grunted as she towered over him, her hands on her hips. "I'd rather not be reminded of that, thank you very much." Butler mentally smacked himself. Of course, that was one of the things he quickly learned over the years he was watching over Leona Gradstein.

At first, he passed her off as a usual noble. Arrogant, stupid, incompetent alone, and cruel. While she is somewhat cruel, his assumptions were quickly proven wrong. Unlike most people, she had what it took to back up her arrogant talk. She was also _extremely_ competitive and always looked for a challenge, and was anything _but_ incompetent.

At the age of 5, her parents, who were very rich and influential, hired the best tutors money could buy. She was skilled in mathematics, science, physics, literature, and even foreign languages. Most things academic was within her domain of knowledge.

Unlike some people, Leona knew how to apply her knowledge of science and math in the real world, more specifically, on the battlefield. But, her early upbringing did more harm than good. She was overworked, forced to spend hours upon hours, meticulously writing algebraic equations, balancing out chemical formulas, and analyzing literature for evidence for her essays. She had no time for socializing since she was at the beck and call of her parents, who demanded nothing but perfection. Thus, all her knowledge about interaction among her age group was purely theory. Her efforts were ultimately in vain for she was never praised or rewarded for her work. Butler, who was hired by Leona's parents to care for "their growing investment", was disgusted at them, but he didn't comment on it out loud. He needed the money badly. All he could do was give her re-affirming squeezes on her shoulder to let her know he was there for her, that she was not alone.

At about the age of 7, Leona met her idol, the infamous Marianne vi Britannia herself. Butler remembered how she met the empress, god knows Leona would let him forget. It was October 10, 2007 a.t.b. 12:31:05 PM. Her parents, who were supporters of Marianne, told her about their budding prodigy and asked for her to meet Leona. She was intrigued and complied. When she showed up at the Gradstein mansion, she went over to the child they extolled so highly. The empress stared into the young girl's eyes, who returned it with equal ferocity. Then, as Leona told it, Marianne picked the girl up, put her on her shoulder, and exclaimed, "This one's a keeper!" Apparently, the two ran off, and the empress agreed to tutor her, via text of course, and placed several conditions, such as decreasing the time she had to be tutored. In turn, she would educate Leona in everything military related. Butler guessed that the parents wanted to turn the girl into a weapon too.

During the lessons, Marianne was more maternal towards Leona than her own biological mother had ever been. Leona wasn't quite as talented at those lessons except for the ones involving tactics and strategy, but she more than compensated with her hard work and tenacity. The vi Britannia praised her efforts and complimented her on what she did right. Slowly but surely, Marianne overtook the parental role in Leona's life, much to her enjoyment. Her skills at the age of 9 were on par with Cornelia li Britannia, another apprentice, who was 3 years her senior, of the late empress. In fact, the two developed a rivalry of sorts, competing for The Flash's attention and praise at every opportunity.

Marianne herself even stated in front of the entire royal court that "Leona will become the next 'Flash', a claim so bold that practically everyone who had been in the room dropped their jaw at their statement. The Flash's skills in knightmare piloting were legendary. Her proficiency made the 2 ton machines move in ways that no one though possible. Even Bismark Waldstein admitted that he would be wary of her battle. The claim would've made Cornelia rebuke the statement, but someone else beat her to it.

After everyone picked their jaws off the floor, the 5th Empress introduced them to the amazing child she had such confidence in. Unfortunately, she was interrupted by her son, Lelouch vi Britannia. He protested that as her son, _he _was the one that was going to inherit her title. Butler recalled the tension in the room as azure eyes burrowed into each other with unspoken fury. With a loud statement, Leona vehemently protested and challenged him to a formal duel in knightmares, setting the stage for the two's first clash. After a long and damaging fight, the fight ended in a stalemate. Despite all the damage to the arena, no victor was named triumphant. Instead, the two begrudgingly acknowledged as equals and rivals, but the latter was more of a one-sided relationship from Leona towards Lelouch.

Butler smiled as he recalled they would have. Everything from chess to Britannian history. Leona would interrupt whatever the young prince was doing to challenge him. The most entertaining one would have to be the 500 rock-papers-scissors match marathon they had. Because she never experienced any competition when she was younger, Leona had most eager to revel in it. The matches were always close, but a winner would eventually be decided. Before his exile, Lelouch was winning with a total of 89 wins to Leona's 77.

Lelouch was the prodigious son of the 5th empress, skilled in practically everything but athletics. Similar to Leona, Lelouch was an academic genius. His professors quickly became his pupils as he humored them with his theories on various subjects. He was taught by Britannian generals in everything regarding the military, which he took to like fish to water. He was taught by Bismark on knightmare piloting. Initially, he was disappointed that his mother wasn't teaching him, but both she and Bismark said that the gap in skill between them is marginal. Of course, being his mother, she still planned his lessons and handed them over to Bismark for the execution. 9 year-old Lelouch proved to be a natural, his control of the knightmare frame was no doubt inherited from his mother. However, he lacked Leona's determination and used his natural talent to carry him to success. He preferred to play with Euphemia and Nunnally, but Butler couldn't blame him. Those girls could be really persuasive when they wanted to. But, his lackadaisical attitude towards learning did nothing to impede his progress. His knightmare frame piloting was phenomenal, and the readings could match several of the older knightmare pilot veterans. At the rate he was going, he could apply to become a knight of the round at age 15. His only competition in his age group was Cornelia and Leona, but both could not match his talent. They could only content themselves by vowing to work harder and surpassing him one day. With his amazing mix of tactical, strategic, and piloting ability, it was no surprise many thought he was being groomed to be the next emperor. Of course, those thoughts stayed as rare whispers. The Emperor ordered for Lelouch's public debut to be when he deems the boy ready. He, while not exactly the best father one could hope for, was correct. With that success came haters. Many of Marianne vi Britannia's enemies would have targeted the child, and assassination attempts might have even occurred if too many know of him. Thus, information about him stayed mostly within the Royal Family.

He exceeded in everything related to the military. He effortlessly wiped the floor with Cornelia and Leona in tactics and strategy, no doubt annihilating the two girls' egos in the process. Lelouch's mastery of the knightmare frame, which was undeniably inherited from his mother, surpassed everyone's including Leona's after year(much to her chagrin), excluding her mother's and Bismarck's, the current Knight of One, but even then he managed to keep up with them.

There was no need to mention how well Lelouch did in traditional studies either. Being a royal, he learned from the best teachers, but he quickly put them to shame with his massive knowledge of pretty much everything. His tutors became his pupils as he used his vast sea of knowledge to lecture his professors on his new theories and ideas, mainly related to military technology, which combined with his expertise in engineering allowed him to help create the third generation of knightmares and his mother's Ganymede.

He was also extremely cunning and manipulative, so deceptive that Schneizel himself would be wary of facing against Lelouch in any fight, be it politics or battlefield.

His charisma was extraordinary to the point where he could invoke practically any emotion into everyone who hears his voice. If one was to witness him charming a crowd, he or she would think that Lelouch was a siren with the way he drew others to him like it was nothing. His ability allowed him to be an extremely dangerous opponent in politics where he could gain support with ease, and the battlefield, increasing his troops' moral and rallying them to his cause.

_Shame he had to die_, Butler thought, _He could've changed the world if he put his mind to it_. Butler stood up and brushed off the dirt that clung to his clothing. The 30 year old sprinted to Leona's side who had walked away while he was reminiscing. Matching her stride, they resumed the conversation they were having.

"So, are you going to tell me why we're here?"

"Simple. We're going to find Lelouch and improvise from there," she responded. Butler raised an eyebrow at her plan and frowned.

"One shouldn't plan to improvise, Leona. I thought that you knew better than that," he chastised. "Surely you can craft a much better plan that that." Leona just sighed and turned to Butler.

"First, he is not dead. Second, we unfortunately have very little information to go on. Most of my plan is composed to assumptions. While they are very good assumptions, they are assumptions nonetheless. While she was talking, Butler noticed that she had subconsciously assumed what many people had named "Leona Gradstein Lecture Position #1", which involved said girl crossing her left arm across her midsection and allowing her right elbow to rest in her left hand while making a gun with her right hand and pointing it towards the sky. **(A/N: Fate/Stay Night fans should know what I'm talking about)**

"The first step is to find him. We can accomplish that with Margrave Jeremiah's help," she started. "With Clovis's death, we have a much more competent person who can help us."

Inwardly, Butler shuddered at Leona's coldness towards Clovis. When they found out through "special" means that Clovis was dead, Butler looked at Leona for her reaction. However, her face betrayed no emotion, just like her tone towards his end now. He frowned and prepared to scold her for her cruelty.

"Leona, Clovis may ha-"

"We can rendezvous with Jeremiah and devise a method to find Lelouch. Knowing him, I can suspect several locations he might be in." Butler sighed and remained silent for the time being. "Clovis was fairly incompetent so he may've just missed Lelouch entirely. I'd check Tokyo first because Lelouch would want someplace where he can plot his inevitable revenge against Britannia."

The two sat down on the bench to rest their tired feet. Several seconds later, Leona continued. "There is also a good chance that he went to seek allies after he was attacked-"

"Wait, how do you know he's alive?" he interrupted. Leona smirked at his cluelessness.

"I know him very well, Butler. He is my rival after all." Leona cleared her throat. "Britannia's invasion of Japan was quick and sudden. This gave the Britannians the upper hand during the invasion because they were far more prepared for war than the Japanese. Their conquest started with the bombing of the Kururugi Shrine where Lelouch was staying. No doubt that they wanted to make him a martyr to incite the masses." For a moment, Butler thought that he saw a flash of anger in her eyes, but he quickly dismissed it as a hallucination. "He definitely should've seen the signs of impending war. With Britannia easing their pestering for more sakuradite, the Japanese were lulled into a false sense of relief. Lelouch probably saw this and deduced that Britannia was going to attack soon since he knows how Britannia tends to handle things due to his status as a royal prince. Thus he most likely left along with Nunnally. Not to mention he's got the devil's luck," she quickly added under her breath. "Anyway, where Lelouch went to is an unknown variable in my plans. For all we know, he could've ran off to the EU. Or maybe my theory is wrong and he's dead. We're Britannians so we'll encounter trouble if we go to the EU where he can easily get resources for his revenge. Therefore we're going to search for him here in Japan." Leona took a deep breath and steadied herself. "If we do find him, how we will handle the situation will depend on him." Once again, Butler was amazed at Leona's mind. Her deduction skills are quite impressive for someone her age, but then again Leona definitely isn't someone you would call a normal 17 year-old. He wasn't about to tell her that though; her self-esteem is already massive enough. However, once concern still plagued Butler.

"So what exactly are we trying to accomplish here, Leona? I get that you want to find Lelouch but why?" he questioned.

"Well he may know something that we don't. Considering how quickly and easily the emperor just exiled his own son who had the best chance to becoming emperor and making Britannia prosper, Charles must've had a _very _good reason to send him away. It is possible that Lelouch obtained some dangerous and confidential information. Also, I hate to admit this but"—she clenched her hand into a fist—"we don't have any other trails. We have nothing else to go on after that last noble we 'interrogated'," she admitted through gritted teeth. "I hate to say this Butler, but we might have just to admit defeat and end our investigation on Marianne's murder if this doesn't turn out well."

Oh that's right. Butler almost forgot the reason they're on this goose chase in the first place.

The empress's murder affected many people, Leona included. She was a role model for the young girl and taught the girl pretty much everything she knew, from knightmare piloting to how to annoy Lelouch (Leona the lessons didn't go to waste). Hell, she even got the woman's infamous mischievousness.

"So pray that Lelouch is still alive and here in Japan, get in touch with Gottwald, and work it out from there?" he summarized. Leona smiled.

"Glad you get the gist of it. Yes, you are correct." The conversation ended there, but against his instincts he added one more comment. "Wait, you're ready to surrender?"

Butler's balls got the chance to familiarize themselves with Leona's boots as the teen repeatedly struck man's greatest weakness.

* * *

**Omake: Rivalz's trip back to Ashford Academy**

"Some friend he is…" Rivalz was currently fuming because a certain black-haired teen decided to run off somewhere while he needed help pushing his bike. "Stupid…Lelouch!" He shoved the bike as hard as he could, gaining a grand total of one foot forwards. "Stupid…BIKE!" Another shove moved the vehicle. "DAMN CRAPPY BUILD QUALITY!" Rivalz wound up his arm and punched the bike as hard as he could.

The result? One undented bike and one screaming Rivalz.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Seeing his lack of progress, he slumped against his bike. The fact that he somehow managed to tear his clothing to shreds in some places made the terrible heat even worse. He sighed, fell to the ground on his knees, and cried out to the heavens with his arms spread wide, "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!"

Then, beyond all comprehension, it started raining. Oh, and there were thunderclouds too.

"I swear someone is plotting against me." Rivalz swept his now wet hair away from his face. "Probably subjecting me to this torture for everyone's entertainment…"

If only he knew…

"Hey there buddy. Need a ride?"

Rivalz turned to the origin of the voice and found a man in a semi-trailer truck with the passenger door open. The man seemed like the stereotypical truck driver. He hadn't shaved judging from the large beard he sported, complete with Dorito chip crumbs. His clothes…were unfashionable for a lack of a better term. And there were quite a few cockroaches in the truck cabin.

The blue-haired teen weighed his options. He could either lug the bike back to school for several hours in the terrible weather or endure torture for half an hour at best. He didn't like it, but he chose the less painful option.

"Umm yes please!" Rivalz nodded his head vigorously for extra emphasis.

The man smiled and told Rivalz to put the bike in the trailer. He followed his instructions and then got into the passenger seat of the truck.

"T-thank you, sir!"

"No need to thank me, lad. Now, where you going'?"

"Ashford Academy, sir." Rivalz thought that he saw a mischievous glint in his eyes, but he shrugged them off as his imagination playing tricks on him. The man smiled at the teen.

"Very well then. Buckle up, boy." The man went to put the machine into drive but accidentally brushed against Rivalz's arm and thighs, which were coincidentally missing the clothing that usually covered them. Rivalz's eyes widened, and he looked at the driver. However, the man's face indicated that he thought nothing of it.

_I have a bad feeling about this_

**5 minutes later**

_This is bad_. That was the only thing Rivalz could think about as the man's hand brushed against his skin for the 7th time. To make it worse, the storm caused most of the roads to be closed off so the half hour ride that Rivalz expected turned into at least a 2 hour ride.

_Someone is definitely plotting against me. I'll find him and gut him alive. _

You can try Rivalz…You can try…

* * *

**A/N: I love messing with Rivalz…**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hmmm in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have changed my name, story title, **_**and **_**summary. I can just imagine the followers from Rebellion to Revolution going "WTF IS THIS?!" Oh well, hopefully they'll take a look at this story anyway…**

**At any rate, hello readers! This is the A/N you're probably not reading, but I'm going to set some things straight anyway. First of all, it is recommended that you actually read these not only for some information on my story, but I will occasionally be responding to reviews and ranting. Feel free to engage in some jolly arguments with me :) **

**Alright, onto some fanfiction stuff. **

**I'm not afraid to kill characters. No one's an exception. In fact, I'm contemplating whether or not to kill Lelouch by the end.**

**Britannians and Suzaku are dicks, so expect massive Brit pownage. After all, one does not fuck with Lelouch vi Britannia...**

**This story will have some humor in it. I'll try not to break the mood with it.**

**This is a LelouchxHarem story. If you're wondering what the members are, I've currently got C.C., Kallen, Milly, and regrettably Shirley. Unfortunately, it's kinda hard not to include the annoying fangirl in a harem.**

**Please review! Even if you're just saying "Kewl" or "Looking forward to your next update." Speaking of reviews...**

**Criticism is greatly appreciated. Irrational flaming will be used to roast Kururugi's corpse before I feed it to the trolls. Basically, don't do something like this:**

_**"Your OC sucks. Add the OC character tag to the story so it can be filtered out by OC tag and I won't have to see it again." –kabuto koiji **_

**Tell me why my OC sucks only after a chapter. Criticize her. Is she being too Mary Sue-ish? Stuff like that. Don't be a douche is what I'm trying to say.**

**That's all for now. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you "Code Geass: The King's Path Chapter 3"**

**EDIT: 10/17-Changed the opening thoughts. **

**EDIT: 11/7 - Changed Leona, Butler, and Jeremiah's conversation a bit. **

* * *

**Ashford Academy Clubhouse**

_This power... how potent. As long as I can maintain eye contact, which means no blinking, I can give a presumably any number of commands to a person, all of which must be followed unless the command is well-beyond their abilities. It can give someone enhanced senses, physical, or mental performance. Eye contact is required, but it doesn't have to be direct, meaning that radios and such can be used. Also, eye contact by both parties is not required as long as the distance between the eyes is not obstructed. A voice command is necessary, but it can be delivered by phones and radios as well. Estimated range is 201 meters. _

_Quite a weapon needed. Nevertheless, I must not abuse it. It is a tool, not a crutch. The power to create and command slaves... how tempting. But, I cannot. I won't. I won't allow myself to fall to HIS level.  
_

Lelouch would've continued, but he noticed some sauce dripping down towards Nunnally's chin. Being the big brother he is, he quickly grabbed a nearby napkin and wiped away he filth that dared to try and stain his sister's angelic beauty. The girl just chuckled at Lelouch's gesture.

"Thank you, Onii-sama. As I was saying, where were you the other day? You scared me!" Nunnally's almost jumped out of her wheelchair (as much as a paraplegic person can) and grabbed onto her beloved brother's jacket. "Please Onii-sama, promise me that you'll never leave me!"

Nunnally knew that it was a selfish request to make. She knew exactly what she meant to her brother. Even back to her time in Aries Villa he was overprotective of her. She knew that a blind and crippled girl such as herself was a large burden, even more so to someone as amazing as her Onii-sama. Thus, she tried to make life as easy for him as possible. But surely this one request isn't too much, right?

She may be a touch sheltered, but she was definitely not unaware. Nunnally perfectly understood the concept of death, pain, and betrayal, perhaps to a greater extent than most people. During her recovery from the incident, Lelouch tried to lay the situation on her as gently as possible, but not to the point that her lack of knowledge will be harmful in the long run. When Lelouch, Suzaku, and she walked through fields of rotting corpses, she knew exactly what was happening. Death was something that she was educated in at a very early age, and she was scared of it. She already lost Suzaku, though whether he's dead or not she didn't know, the thousands of people that died in the Britannian invasion of Japan, and even her own mother, Marianne vi Britannia. The thought of losing her precious Onii-sama…

"Of course, Nunnally. Anything to make you happy." Nunnally could practically feel her brother's gentle smile, and she smiled in return.

"Then let's swear on it." She grabbed Lelouch's pinky and intertwined her own with his, creating a physical link between them. "Sayoko taught me this the other day. It's called a Japanese promise." She started the chant while shaking her hand, and in turn Lelouch's, up and down. "Cross my heart, hope to die. Eat a thousand needles if I lie. Pinky promise song!" She smiled as she completed the song. Her Onii-sama _never_ broke his promises after all. Nunnally heard her brother's amused chuckling.

"What's wrong, Lelouch? You could use the iron, perhaps it may improve your physical abilities," she joked.

"Perhaps you're right…" Sensing the incoming silence, Nunnally quickly changed the subject. Her time with Lelouch was too valuable to be wasted.

"Sayoko taught me how to make cranes from paper. Apparently, it's called 'origami' here in Japan." She shoved one of said cranes in front of the space where she knew his head was. "If you create a thousand paper cranes, your wish will come true!" The notion of having a wish to fix what she wanted to brought a gleeful expression on her face.

"What do you wish for, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked. Nunnally was about to open her mouth to respond, but she quickly shut it. She knew that Lelouch would do anything for her sake. A gentler world. If he found out about her wish, then he would do nothing short of destroying the world and recreating it anew just for her Fearing for the safety of the world and Lelouch, she lied.

"Nothing yet. I'm content for now. What about you, Lelouch?" she asked.

"Me? Well…" Lelouch paused for a moment. Does he dare tell her that he secretly wants to burn the current Britannian Empire to the ground and change society in the process? _It'd just make her worry more_, he thought. "Nothing as of yet."

"Shame. A man of such capability shouldn't be doing nothing except for staying here with me," she scolded lightly. "Let's see"—she held up her hand and raised a finger—"excellent cook"—another finger went up—"masterful strategist"—her middle finger joined the other two—"jaw-dropping looks. Pretty much the entire Ashford Academy female population is after you, know now. Even with the ones that have boyfriends!" Nunnally laughed and resumed counting off her brother's many desirable traits. "Prodigious intellect and the ability to apply that too, and then there's the fact that you're filthy rich."

"Y-you know about that?"

Nunnally chuckled. "The Student Council visits me more often than you think. Shirley rants about your gambling a lot," she said.

"You know that I gamble so that we can be self-sufficient, Nunnally. I'd hate myself if we were a burden on the Ashfords, and our lifestyle does cost quite a bit of money. And then there's the fut—"

"I know," she interrupted. "No need to be so defensive, Onii-sama. Those chess matches are a godsend since your identity is not required, and they bring in a lot of money. Our lack of a proper debut only helps in hiding our royalty status." Seeing that she understood, Lelouch relaxed and shut up. "Back to what I was saying, you have to apply yourself. Go out and start a company, become a businessman, or maybe even start a harem."

Lelouch almost spit out his (rather good) food.

"Nonsense, Nunnally! I would gladly stay here with you!" he insisted. Resisting the urge to scream "Hell yeah!" and squashing the feeling of happiness in her chest, Nunnally frowned.

"Tsk tsk Lelouch." She wagged her finger for extra effect. "What would girls think if all you do is stay here and babysit me? Your desirability would go down considerably."

"I have no need of a female in my life aside from you," he said with finality. His sister just sighed in exasperation.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you're dense or just gay, Lelouch…" The girl chuckled lightly at her joke and looked at Lelouch for his reaction. He was staring wide-eyed at his sister since he didn't expect her to make such a joke.

"Nunnally…" Lelouch would've huddled up into a corner and cried, but he was still paralyzed from his sister's words. Recovering from his shock, the exiled prince regained his composure and changed the subject.

"Anyway, are you sure you don't want anything?"

"Positive."

"_Really sure_?" he pressed.

"Yes."

"_Really really sure_?"

If this was an anime, a large cartoon symbol of a vein would've appeared on Nunnally's forehead. "…do I need to get a dictionary so you can learn what the definition of 'yes' is?"

"Very well then." The siblings resumed eating their dinner in comfortable silence, each wondering off to their own individual thoughts. _This life…can't last much longer. Milly and Ruben are protecting us for now, but that won't last long. I have to make my move now so I can build a world where my sister can live in peace. I do have her approval after all…_

"So Lelouch, how much money do you have anyway?" Lelouch answered by grabbing a piece of paper and carving the numbers onto it. When he was done, he handed it to her. For a moment, there was a look of confusion on her face as she felt out the groove made by the pencil, but an expression of clarity quickly replaced it. "Wow…that's a lot of zeroes."

* * *

**Tokyo Government Bureau**

"If you don't mind me asking, why haven't we looked for Lelouch before?" Butler asked. The question was valid considering the chase for the "missing" (Butler still thought he was dead, but he wasn't about to say that out loud) prince started seven years after his supposed death.

"Because Butler, we don't know for certain if Lelouch is alive, and you know how much I hate unknown variables in my plans. Second, there were much more promising leads that were much more available to us. This is our last-ditch effort. If we fail here, then we would've spent the last seven years doing nothing!" Butler winced at anger coming from the blond. Leona wasn't one to be easily aggravated so it was very surprising to hear such a tone from her. Her intellect and mental manipulation training usually prevented her from being flustered, but she did have her moments.

"I suppose that he doesn't want to be found considering that he hasn't contacted anyone yet," Butler said.

"True. I can understand the Royal Family, but why not me?" Leona crossed her arms, wrinkling the black shirt she was wearing. As always, Leona was dressed fashionably, sporting a midnight black button-down with an equally dark pair of pants and heel-less shoes. A contrasting white coat with fur lining the collar completed the outfit. Butler was wearing his usual bodyguard suit, consisting of a black coat and pants and a white button-down shirt. If someone looked at the two of them, he'd think that an intimate relationship didn't exist between the couple considering their opposite choices in apparel when in reality, it was just the contrary.

"Maybe he doesn't like you?" Butler suggested.

"Nonsense," she replied dismissively. The two continued down the hallway. The walls were covered with various portraits of the Royal Family, which were made by the masterful painter, Clovis, himself. Ornate moldings lined the tops of the walls, and decorative porcelain sat on top of expensive furniture. The place was practically the epitome of Britannian prestige and power, which was not surprising considering that it _was_ the Government Bureau after all. Nothing but the best for the Britannian nobility and Imperial Family…

Leona and he turned the corner and came upon the Viceroy's office. Butler noticed the portraits of Lelouch and Nunnally next to the door and frowned. He may have been corrupted, but his love for his family did not waver. She opened the large grand doors and stepped inside with her bodyguard following. They were treated to the sight of the Margrave sitting on the desk, trying to defeat the large stack of paperwork next to him. Apparently he was so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice them.

Butler opened his mouth to speak, but Leona's hand clamped over it.

"I have an idea," she whispered. Butler _really_ did not like the look she had in her eye. Quietly, she took out a voice recorder and hovered her finger over it. "This…is from Nonnette." And with that she pressed the button.

"OHHHHH JEEEEEREEEEEEEEEMYYYYYYYYY!" Nonnette's voiced loudly said. Immediately, the Margrave jumped out of his seat and pulled out a container of…holy water?

"STAY BACK SHE-DEVIL! I HAVE HOLY WATER, AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT! I WILL BANISH YOU BACK TO DEEPEST PIT OF HELL FROM WHERE YOU CAME!" he yelled while waving the canister towards their direction. Butler knew something was always a bit off with him, and now he knew what it was.

"Calm down, Gottwald. And you too Leona!" Said female was currently laughing to her heart's content while rolling on the floor.

"I think…that…may…have been…too…cruel," she gasped out in between giggles. Jeremiah noticed the two and calmed himself. His posture visibly relaxed, and he sat down on the luxurious chair while pocketing his holy water.

"That was very unnecessary, young lass," he said while glaring at the giggling teen.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself." The giggling stopped as Leona's expression became serious once again. "I assume you know what I'm here for?" she said in a monotone voice. The Margrave nodded.

"Yes, though before we start discussing our plans, would you like some tea?" he offered.

"Butler?" she asked

"Some tea would be nice. Yes, please," he answered. Jeremiah pushed a button on the intercom on his desk.

"Bring them up," he commanded. He cleared his throat before turning back to the people in front of him. "How are you two doing? Things are going well, I presume?"

Leona frowned and shook her head. "Our investigation haven't produced any good results. Any leads we managed to snag quickly led to dead-ends. We interrogated everyone that was involved and various suspects. However, we discovered nothing. How are you doing? It's been a while." While they were conversing, Butler looked around the room and observed various things of interest.

The Margrave smiled and proudly said, "Well as you can _clearly_ see, I have recently acquired a position of considerable power, the margrave. I also created the Purist Fraction." Leona noticed that the man slightly frowned. She wasn't surprised considering that the group condemned those who are not part of the Britannian nobility. Since Marianne was a commoner, and Jeremiah admired her, his dislike of their ideals was obvious to those who really knew him.

"Exploiting the typical Britannian nobility's views towards other people in order to get power. How cunning of you, Jerry," she complimented.

"Thank you. Anyway, as a margrave and leader of the most powerful military group in Area 11 aside from the Britannian army, I can finally start searching for his and her highnesses. Shame they had to die though," he said solemnly as hi_s_ face took on a pained look. Before Leona could respond, several knocks came from the other side of the door.

"Excuse me, Lord Jeremiah. I have the tea you requested." a small voice said.

"Very well then. Come in," he replied, looking for Leona's shoulder. A maid came in bearing a tray, which had 3 cups of steaming hot tea on it. She carefully placed them on the man's desk before respectfully bowing.

"Is there anything else you require, sir?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you." The maid went back into the hallway and closed the door. Quiet footsteps signaled her retreat back into the depths of the building.

Leona and Jeremiah took their tea and gingerly sipped from the cups. Several seconds of silence followed as they continued drinking their beverages while the bodyguard continued leaning on the wall next to the door. Finally, one of them spoke.

"Well, Butler?"

"No hidden cameras or audio recorders anywhere here. I can also confirm that the woman did actually leave and did not remain to eavesdrop on our conversation," he reported. "Now if you'll excuse me." He went over to the desk and picked up his tea. His muscles loosened and moans of pleasure escaped him as the hot fluid did its job. With a loud "Ahhhhhhh," he stopped drinking and looked at the turquoise-haired man. "Eleven green tea? I never knew who liked this kind of thing."

"Admittedly, Elevens make some damn good tea," he begrudgingly confessed. "Now that you're done inspecting my room, I assume that we'll be discussing some rather sensitive information?"

"Correct. If the Emperor knew we knew discussing this, we'd be executed. You still believe that Lelouch and Nunnally are alive, right?" He chuckled.

"Of course. I was only lying earlier. The children of Marianne wouldn't die to something as measly as a Britannian invasion. I believe they're alive hence why I became a margrave and the leader of the Purists. HER LADY'S OFFSPRING INHERITED HER STRONG WILL, I KNOW IT!" he proclaimed loudly.

In response, the girl just let her eye twitch freely, showing her annoyance. "Jeremiah, shut up. You do _want _us to be executed for treason?" she asked rhetorically.

"In a world such as ours, you are never truly safe. I suggest you take that into heart, Jeremiah," Butler added.

He nodded with head, agreeing with the girl's words. "Truly depressing. Betrayal and corruption run rampant. You never know if you can truly trust your friends." He flinched when he saw her dangerously narrowed eyes. "Umm present company excepted, of course," he added sheepishly. "It's sad that a young girl such as yourself has to know how harsh the world is…"

"Hn. We're digressing." Leona stared at Jeremiah, and all expression on her face left, leaving behind a blank visage. She was serious now.

Jeremiah put down his teacup and met her equally unwavering gaze. "Now, what do you want to talk about?" The girl mimicked his action.

"Lelouch and Nunnally are probably alive," she stated bluntly. "I did some more research on their possible whereabouts, and I concluded that they're somewhere in Tokyo or somewhere close to the city." She produced a thin stack of papers and handed them to the Margrave. "Clovis searched for the vi Britannias in the countryside first," she informed while gesturing to the papers he had. "It'd make sense for Lelouch to hide where Clovis least suspected, Tokyo, right? There's also the fact that he can gather resources easily here." Jeremiah accepted her reasoning and signaled for her to continue. "Next, we talked to some nobles. Apparently, they lost large amounts of money to boy. Care to guess how?"

The man shook his head.

"Chess, Jeremiah, chess. The noblemen were involved in some illegal, gambling, chess matches. It seems perfect for Lelouch. He can keep his identity a secret while earning enough cash to support him and Nunnally." Leona let him process the information for a few seconds before she continued. "That's all for now. Obviously, Lelouch isn't only decent chess player who gambles in Tokyo, and I couldn't get a good description out of them. I can gather some more conclusive evidence later."

Jeremiah let the revelations sink in before saying, "That's all well and good, but your argument is largely unnecessary." He abruptly stood up and saluted the portrait of Lady Marianne and her children on the wall. "My loyalty to the vi Britannias is all I need to justify my search! In the name of Jeremiah Gottwald, I WILL find them!" he stated proudly

Leona's eye twitched and whispered some rather colorful things to herself under her breath. Butler could've sworn he heard something about "emasculation" and "reckless idiot" and agreed with her. His loyalty was rather annoying at times.

Leona sighed so dramatically that it would've given Clovis's ghost an orgasm. "Anyway, I'm beat. Jerry, can you please let us stay here for a while?" she begged with puppy dog eyes. Try as he might, but all the mental training he learned at the military academy could not help him against this foe.

"Sure. There are some spare bedrooms on the ground level," he acquiesced. He reached into the drawer in his desk, pulled out some keys, and tossed them to Butler. "I expect that you won't make a mess here?" he asked hopefully.

Leona just smirked at him.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

**Next Day**

Lelouch wasn't quite sure how he got into his current situation. He had been trying to get Kallen Stadtfeld, who was actually a terrorist, alone, so he led her into the Ashford Academy Clubhouse, which quickly turned into a chaotic jumble involving a scantily-clad Milly in a maid's outfit, Rivalz and his usual stupidity, Shirley's normal goody two shoes demeanor, and a rather expensive bottle of champagne from Lelouch's personal collection that he gave to the blue-haired idiot.

Right now, he was standing outside the clubhouse bathroom with a stack of clean…well it _was_ clothing, just not what she may expect. It was Milly's idea after all.

Any normal boy would have their hearts racing as they were eager to see Kallen's curvaceous figure even if it was only behind a shower curtain. However, Lelouch wasn't a normal boy. Unlike most teenage males, he actually thought with his brain instead of his penis.

Lelouch knew how dangerous it was for him to go inside. She may possibly be armed and ready to kill him, and the bathroom was in an isolated part of the other parts of the building, so witnesses weren't a problem. Fortunately for him, his slip-up would cause her to want more information instead of just outright killing him, allowing him to attempt to ease her suspicions. His plan was ready, and all he needed to do was successfully execute it.

Easier said than done.

The ebony-haired boy steadied himself before knocking on the door. "It's Lelouch! I've brought you a change of"—he looked at the thing he was holding in his arms and resisted the urge to snicker—"clothes," he called, making sure he was loud enough to be heard over the sound of the shower.

He heard the sound of the curtains being pulled back and a female voice that said, "Come in! I've drawn the curtains already!" she assured. The door slid open automatically, and Lelouch stepped inside. The steam hit his face, causing him only slight discomfort compared to the sight before him.

Lelouch's eyes widened slightly at the silhouette of Kallen's form before his raging hormones was defeated by his iron will. He had suppressed his desire for the female body for many years now, but it seemed like the effects of puberty were stronger than ever. He had developed tendencies of staring and lusting over the female form in secret during the past few month, and it truly annoyed Lelouch. When one was plotting to destroying an empire encompassing a third of the world, such feelings were only a hindrance to the goal.

"Sorry about that," he started, his voice betraying none of the nervousness he was feeling. "Rivalz is an idiot in case you haven't figured it out yet."

"Oh don't worry, I have," she said mirthfully. "The Student Council's pretty laid-back from what I can tell. But then again, there's nothing wrong with just cutting our problems loose and enjoying life, you know?"

"Indeed." He placed his package in the basket next to the sink. "Hope you don't mind what you're going to be wearing. It was the only thing I could find that would suit you," he apologized. He leaned against the wall and put his hands in his pockets. To her, his actions were innocent, but he was secretly holding onto his cellphone. _If and when she takes violent action, I'll send a blank text message to Sayoko, triggering her to call the bathroom phone and play a pre-recorded voice message. After it's delivered, she'll destroy any evidence of it and delete the text. All I have to do is survive until then. _Lelouch went over the plan in his head to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. If there was a mistake, he would have to improvise as necessary.

"No worries. I've worn my brother's clothes before, so I'm used to wearing pretty much anything," she informed. "That was fast. You ran all the way here from the boys' dorm?" Kallen was genuinely curious. Lelouch didn't strike her as someone who was physically fit enough to do that. Not to mention the rumors about his athletic ability weren't exaggerated.

Lelouch chortled at her. "I see that the status of my physical capabilities are quite well-known, even to someone such as yourself, no offense. At any rate, I actually live in the clubhouse with my sister. It would be hard for her to live in the dorms, so the principal lets us live here as a favor," he told. "I'm not complaining though. The clubhouse is quite luxurious."

"I see…"

_Looks like I'll have to force her. _"I have to go. See you late—"

"Before you leave"—she reached past the curtain with her arm and pointed at a pouch on the sink counter—"can you please hand me that over there?" she asked. Lelouch turned around and walked over to the object in question. He raised his eyebrow at it.

_Hmmm, there's a slit near the bottom. Why? _He grabbed the pouch and immediately knew why. _Tch, the blade is rather hard to feel with all objects in it, but it's definitely an assassination pouch. _Lelouch's battles against OSI assassins allowed him to detect and stop assassination attempts with ease due to his superior intelligence to most people. Such a skill was necessary in order for Nunnally and him to survive against the wrath of the emperor. _So she is armed. Good, I can finally put my plan into action. I'll knock out two birds with one stone._ Smirking, he picked it up while simultaneously sending the message to his maid.

Casually walking over to Kallen, he withdrew the black king chess piece that he was so fond of from his pocket. Rivalz and the rest of the council thought that it was to show his love for chess, but it was for something else entirely. If one was observant enough, they'd notice that the king piece was larger than norm. A subtle difference, but a very important one nonetheless.

He reached into the shower and wasn't surprised when the girl, in a display of unusual energy, slapped the weapon out of his grasp. Lelouch took the initiative and ripped the curtain off its mount, exposing the naked girl. Before she could retrieve it, he stepped into the tub, kicked the pouch to the far corner, and attempted to pin the girl to the wall. However, Kallen recovered faster than he anticipated and shoved him off. Water splashed onto the walls and floors as the two continued to wrestle for supremacy.

Kallen quickly grabbed her knife pouch and tackled Lelouch, sending both sprawling. She moved the knife to his throat, but she quickly found the crowns of a king chess piece hovering over her own.

She scoffed, "Do you really think _that _could kill me?" She doubted the effectiveness of it, but her brother told her to never underestimate your opponent, especially someone smart and resourceful like the teen in front of her.

He smirked. "I'd look more closely if I were you." She did so without taking her attention off the boy and looked at his weapon to examine it for anything she missed in her initial analysis. Her gaze ventured to the crown of the piece, and she gasped as it fell off, revealing a barrel housing a .22 caliber pistol round.

The chess piece was actually a firearm that Lelouch had designed himself. Using the aluminum king piece of a chess set he had won off some nobleman as a frame, Lelouch converted it into a small gun, somehow managing to fit the button trigger, striker, _and _recoil absorber system of a normal gun into a small amount of space. A button near the base acted as the trigger for the gun. The entire frame was reinforced with steel, ensuring that the weapon wouldn't fail and explode, taking his hand with it. The shock absorber was fairly small, so Lelouch had put great effort into making sure it didn't fly and knock lose his front teeth. The bullets had to be manually inserted into the firing chamber, so dealing with multiple targets wasn't possible, but it was effective as a last-resort weapon for 1 on 1 engagements.

**(A/N: Unrealistic? Yes, but when you have people driving around large robot mechs that can fly and a guy who might as well be a helicopter, it's not too far-fetched in comparison.)**

"By the way, you're naked," he pointed out bluntly in an effort to catch her off guard.

It worked.

With a shriek, the redhead practically jumped off Lelouch and turned away from him, unknowingly showing her backside to him. Lelouch snickered at the futile effort.

"Congratulations. I have a much better view of your ass now," he said while smirking.

If it was possible, the girl would've blushed even harder.

"F-f-fuck you, you perv!" she swore. Her arms were crossed over her chest, failing to hide her extremely large and possibly fake breasts. Unfortunately, she dropped her knife in the chaos, apparently prioritizing her modesty over her life. While Kallen was busy coming to terms with the fact that he saw her naked, Lelouch reached for the knife with one arm and the fallen shower curtains with the other.

"How am I the pervert? You're the one that wanted to rape me," he stated calmly. "Here." He tossed the curtains onto the girl, who gladly accepted the gift. She wrapped them around her body and turned back to Lelouch.

_Shit_. She had failed to get information out of him, and the odds aren't stacked in her favor as the boy now had her knife _and_ his weird gun. At the rate the situation is going downhill, there's a high chance of her dying her and now. Still, Kallen Kozuki wasn't going down without a fight, and she was most certainly not going to die without being useful to Japan.

"What do you know about Shinjuku?!" she demanded. Kallen hoped that she could at least discover something important what he knew before he killed her. If she was lucky, maybe there'll be an opportunity to get the information to Ohgi and the others.

Lelouch decided to feign ignorance. "Why? Is there something wrong with Shinjuku?"

"Tch. Don't answer my question with a question!"

"Or what? What will you do?" he asked. Kallen gritted her teeth. He was right. She was in no position to be demanding answers from him, but her rambunctious personality evidently didn't care about that. "But if you really want to know, it's because as the daughter of a fairly powerful noble, you should not have to suffer and witness the gruesome footage that was taken at Shinjuku Ghetto," he proclaimed. While on the outside he was collected, Lelouch's mind was actually in turmoil. _Where the hell is that call from Sayoko?!_

Kallen blinked and raised an eyebrow before lowering it almost immediately. It seemed true enough, and people did say Lelouch was a gentleman albeit a cold one.

"Thus, I took the liberty of protecting your innocence and shielded you from the horrors of this world! Such a mess is not fitting of someone of your stature."

Kallen would've facepalmed, but her hands were preoccupied with holding the makeshift cloak around her.

"Unfortunately, it seemed that my efforts were not necessary." He gestured to the knife he was holding and frowned. "Anyway, my turn"—he raised his gun—"why did you try to kill me?" Even though he knew it was because of her fiery spirit and her status as a half, he asked anyway to avoid suspicion. It wouldn't be good if she found out that he's privy to information he wasn't supposed to know.

"Well, I could ask the same to you! I do you have a gun?!" she shot back.

Lelouch stared at her with his usual soul-piercing gaze. "Surely you've heard of my gambling habits, correct?" A nod from the girl confirmed it. "I win. A lot. And sometimes people don't like losing. Do understand where I'm going with this?" Another nod came. "Good, now I'll ask again. Why did you try to ki—"

Lelouch was interrupted by the sound of the bathroom phone ringing. He mentally sighed in relief. "You stay right there while I answer the phone. Someone would come down if it's left unanswered." He slowly got up and grabbed the phone, careful to keep his gun pointed at her the entire time.

"Hello, Ashford Academy Student Council Vice President speaking." No one responded, but Lelouch pretended that he was talking with someone anyway to make it seem natural. Sayoko would play the message about 10 seconds after the call is answered, so he had plenty of time to make the delivery as smooth as possible. He faked a smile. "Well actually sir, she's right here." He held the phone out to Kallen. "It's for you."

Hesitantly, she grabbed the phone with one hand while the other continued holding the shower curtains in place. "Hello?" she asked cautiously.

"Glad you're still alive, Q-1," a _very_ familiar voice spoke. Kallen froze. It was _him_. The voice from Shinjuku.

The one that gave them the Sutherlands.

The one that saved them all.

The one that led them to victory.

Well, not counting the white knightmare but details...

She discreetly looked at the teen in front of her. _Was I wrong?_ Kallen was very confused, so she did a very Kallen-like thing. She yelled.

"Who the hell are you?!" She was frustrated with this guy's secrecy and wanted some damn answers for once.

"1600 hours the day after tomorrow at the observation deck in Tokyo Tower. Bring some of your friends if you want." Almost as quick as it came, the message ended, leaving on silence in the call.

"HEY! WAIT YOU BASTARD! WERE YOU THE ONE THAT ARRANGED THE CEASEFIRE?! HELLO?! GODAAM—"

"Ceasefire? You keep strange company, Ms. Stadtfeld. Perhaps you play online video games?" he offered. The truth was that he just wanted her to shut up and stop making a fool of herself. If this was the kind of people he will soon be working with, then his rebellion may be over before it began.

"Uhhh yeah! You're absolutely correct. Hahahaha," she said, laughing awkwardly. Lelouch smiled. Not only was the plan a success, but the girl was making a bigger fool of herself than Rivalz, which was saying a lot. Of course, he hid his amusement with his usual stoic expression.

"I believe that it would be best if we both forget this ever happened. Deal?" the ebony-haired boy asked.

"Deal." He retracted the blade on the pouch and tossed it to her while withdrawing his own weapon.

Lelouch got out of the tub and headed towards the door. "Well I'll be leaving. You have my condolences by the way," he said vaguely over his shoulder as the door closed.

Confused, Kallen got out of the tub and went over to the basket to dress herself. Her eye twitched at the sight of what Lelouch brought. She grabbed the note with not well concealed anger and read it.

_ Dear Ms. Stadtfeld,_

_ First of all, let me say that Rivalz is an idiot. We are very sorry for the incident caused by his idiocy, and I hope that one day we will compensate for your loss. However, for now this will have to do. I hope you like it. It looked fantastic on Lelouch, so I'm sure it will match your fantastic form quite nicely. Give it back to him eventually though since it's Lelouch's outfit for our cross dressing festivals. I am looking forward to working with you (preferably very closely)._

_ Your boss, _

_ Milly Ashford_

She tossed the note over her shoulder and looked at the clothes she'll be wearing for the rest of the school day.

"...Shit."

* * *

**Omake: Dear fanfiction readers.**

_Dear fanfiction readers, _

_I'm not sure I've introduced myself yet. My name is Rivalz Cardemonde, and I'm here to gloat in her faces. For years, I have been tragically ignored by the Code Geass fanfiction community, instead being replaced by C.C., Suzaku, Kallen, etc. as his partner. It was grief-stricken years ago when I discovered this website and found out that ONLY 27 GODDAMN FICS ACTUALLY HAVE ME IN THE CHARACTER TAGS. And in some of works, you people...you...why...WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU PUT ME AND LELOUCH TOGETHER IN SOME FUCKED UP YAIO SCENARIO?! I know this is fanfiction, but have you actually considered MY feelings? Lelouch's? What about Suzaku's in the ever so popular LelouchxSuzaku pairing? Do you think we WANT to be involved in your messed up fantasies?! Hmm, you don't care and that it's fanfiction so you can do what the hell you want? Well then, I can safely say you people have no soul. _

_I'm not sure you all understand how important I am. I am Rivalz Cardemonde. Did you even know my last name before this Omake? At any rate, the series wouldn't have even started if I hadn't taken Lelouch gambling. What's that? Geass only accelerated his plans and would've become Zero anyway? Well...he wouldn't have geass so suck it! In most fics, I just freakin' comic relief! COMIC RELIEF! AND I HAVE TO COMPETE WITH TAMAKI FOR THAT SPOT! Seriously people, even Rai, who doesn't even appear in the show, is more popular than me. WHYYYYYYYYYYY?!_

_But that changes NOW! Rein Weissritter, god bless his soul, is going to attempt to actually make me somewhat important! Hell yeah! Sure he put Milly in Lelouch's harem, but nothing is free, you know? Anyway, I actually have a place in the world now! Prepare yourself world, for you about to meet Rivalz Cardemonde!_

_ Rivalz Cardemonde_

* * *

**A/N: That's right! Rivalz will be semi-important for once. Hurraaaaaay! **

**Just to emphasize my point, I'll copy point #6 from the top A/N down here. But before I do that, someone answer my question. So you know how people say "Remember to R&amp;R" or something like that? Well, google told me that it means "Read&amp;Review," but does that really make sense when most people put it at the end? Or even if you put it at the beginning, why remind them to read? Is there another purpose to going to other than to read fanfiction?**

**Remember, criticism will make my story better and me happier, while irrational flaming will be used to roast Suzaku's corpse. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hmmm, lot's of people complaining about Leona annihilating Cornelia at the age of 5. Your complaints have been noted—Holy fuck! Cornelia is 27?! Well, considering that Leona is 17, I just you guys _do _have a point. Let's see, by the powers invested in me by , I hereby change Cornelia's age to... let's see... 20. Yes, much better. Now, for Leona's OPness, I actually have a reason for that. I've hinted at it in the story, but it's part of my big, secret plan to destroy her. Due to her rivalry with Leona, Cornelia will be receiving a power boost, so she can more easily content with Lelouch. **

** Guest Not quite sure if you're using sarcasm or not. **

** Guest Agreed.**

** Guest Is it _that _obvious? I was contemplating on making her Lelouch's nemesis, but Highschool DxD quickly shoved that idea out of my head. As for Cornelia, it's possible, but his fantasizing was more hormones than actual love. Worry not though, OC hating readers, C.C. will get plenty of love. **

** Chronostorm Shirley rubbed off me as an infatuated fangirl. I'm not quite sure how she fell in love with Lelouch since the wiki has no info on that, but it comes off as a fangirl obsession to me. She acts like a mother to him and is clingy. Also...**

***holds flame shield up***

**It's much easier to kill her.**

** Leonard Church814 Agreed.**

** The Fairy King *facepalm***

** The Worldwalker I'm surprised no one else wrote that idea. I mean c'mon. Lelouch likes chess and goes gambling illegally. Why does he not defend himself?!**

** Shadowgui Noted.**

** northernlion196 Great minds think alike.**

** Tau_Overlord Noted. That torture scene is still happening though.**

** Guest Character bashing will not irrational. No, I will keep picking his ideology apart like Rider destroyed Saber in that one scene in Fate/Zero. Yes, he will crack eventually. **

** Edgar3t I doubt my sanity sometimes as well. **

** Guest If you're referring to the A/Ns in the middle of the story, I'll abide by your request. If not, #dealwithit. The comedy is intentional. Aside from some relaxing with Tamaki, the Black Knight scenes will have none of it. I'll probably do something with the contrasting lifestyles later on.**

** Toaneo07 Ver2.0 And you just killed the English language. Good job!**

**So, for this A/N, I'll be discussing a touchy subject. My decision to include OCs. I know what you're thinking. "MARY SUE! BETTER THAN CORNELIA! PRODIGIOUS APPRENTICE OF MARIANNE! KILL IT!" Blah, blah, blah, blah. I probably should've been more careful in my wording when I asked for reviews, but nothing I can do about it now. Still, when ~50%—maybe even greater—of a story's reviews are more or less flames on my OC, it's quite disheartening, and for a new author, it's extremely demotivating to watch as people repeatedly slander your decisions—holy shit...**

** CircleOfDarkness PM sent. Thank you for not flaming me!**

** CyberPunker You are just too kind! Criticism noted and committed to memory. Regarding the comment about writing vs. reading OCs, I don't mind most of them as long as they're fun to read and not just plot devices with no emotion. **

**Where was I? Oh yeah...**

**For those of you screaming "Mary Sue!" you may or may not be right. If my fragile, Death Note-like plan backfires... well ya, then you can start complaining—wait you already are. Well... you can start flaming more violently. You see how it says "Lelouch/Multi" in the summary? That means a harem, and you can't have a harem—a good one at least, which I plan on having—with a Mary Sue. I did anticipate the Mary-Sue claims to some extent, so I have backup plan to shipping Leona off to the EU in order to get reinforcements. That'll take her out, so I can find a way to fix the whole romance thing. But hey, if you don't like it and aren't willing to give it a try, then go ahead and close this page. I certainly won't hold it against you. **

**What I cannot comprehend are the complaints of Leona's Mary Sue-ness when the harem hasn't even formed yet. I thought that a Mary Sue, according to Urban Dictionary, "upstages all the girls"? You can't upstage what isn't there. **

**Also, how have people not complained about Butler's name yet? Do you guys get the reference, or are you just focusing on Leona?**

**Side note: How the hell is Kallen 5' 7" with those freakin' legs? Sheeeeeeesh.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. The only thing I own is Butler and Leona, who is currently being abused by the reviewers.**

**Leona: Well, screw you too, author.**

**HamJabroni: Yup, definitely sending you to the EU after I attempt to break you. **

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

"I repeat: Suzaku Kururugi arrested for murder of his highness, Prince Clovis la Britannia."

Gasps filled the room, and everyone's faces showed their shock. The now morbid atmosphere was a drastic change from the mar more joyous and carefree environment they were in only moments ago. The chuckling and outright laughter that was directed towards Kallen, who, in Milly's opinion, looked amazing in the dress Lelouch wore to the cross-dressing party, vanished, only to be replaced with surprise and denial.

Lelouch's eyes were as wide as saucers as he processed the news. _Suzaku? He's still alive?! _However, confusion turned into anger as the implications of Suzaku's arrest dawned on him. _Dammit_, he mentally swore.

While the rest of the room's occupants continued gaping at the TV, Lelouch was seething in rage in the inside. He knew that they would eventually announce his brother's death, and a scapegoat would be chosen, but he did not anticipate his best friend would suffer. He was initially confused on why Suzaku was still alive. He was shot in the back, probably hitting the liver in the process judging from the angle that he was shot from. There was a chance that Suzaku could've lived, but that's _only _if the bullet doesn't hit _any _of the major blood vessels near the liver _and _is taken to a medical facility before he can bleed out. The chances of both happening are extremely slim, but impossible odds haven't stopped Suzaku before. He probably had a pocket watch where the bullet hit or something stupid like that.

And then there's the fact that a severely injured soldier managed to assassinate a prince of the empire. Britannian medicine was advanced, but there was no way for someone to be able recover from a wound of that caliber and be able to infiltrate a G-1 full of armed and trained soldier and kill the viceroy. Said person would be lucky to be able to be standing during the recovery process, never mind getting to the G-1. Of course, the public doesn't know that, and any records of Suzaku's injury and recovery process were definitely ignored by his accusers.

The punishment for regicide was death, and if Cornelia was there, and the victim of aforementioned murder was in good relations with the woman, extreme pain and every torture method possible inflicted on the person before their death. Luckily for one Suzaku Kururugi, the Witch of Britannia was not present, or else this execution would've been mercy.

He excused himself out of the room and ran to the roof, his muscles burning from the burst of energy. He slammed open the door and shut it with similar force, not caring about who heard the loud thud that rang throughout the empty hallway. He walked to the railing and looked at the distant buildings, trying to calm himself down. Lelouch always went to roofs when he wanted to think. The feeling of freedom he got allowed him to clear his head and made crafting his infamous plans much easier. That's why out of the 500 something hand signals he made with Suzaku, one of them was made to solely convey: "Meet me at the roof."

_Britannia... you've taken Suzaku, my best friend and the person who gave me happiness after mother's murder, once. I REFUSE to let you take him back a second time._ No. He will not fail. Britannia took his mother and his sister's sight and legs along with her chance of living as happy as she can be. His savior during the fallout of the 5th Empress's death was also taken.

Lelouch recalled the time after his mother's death. He was despondent and cold towards others, even his family during their rare visits. Schneizel was left exhausted from his duties as the Prime Minister and even more so when the empress's death nearly doubled his workload. Clovis and Euphemia were left sobbing messes in the fallout of her death, leaving it to Cornelia to calm down her sister. However, even she grieved after putting on a brave front for Euphy. Leona, as the heiress to the Gradstein family, was forced to try and salvage their precarious situation. Like the Ashfords, they too were large supporters of Lady Marianne and fell hard after her death.

And so, the young Lelouch vi Britannia was left to mourn alone with no one else there, not even his family, to help him.

He left Britannia as a broken mess, a young boy who experienced the horrors of life at an age far too early.

And arrived at Japan as a cold, unapproachable demon.

But that all changed the day he met Suzaku Kururugi.

* * *

**Kururugi Shrine**

**7 years ago**

The vi Britannia siblings stood outside the storage shed that was designated as their new home. From the outside, Lelouch could already tell the interior was going to be a mess judging from the pitiful state the exterior was in. A part of the roof was missing, which was covered up by a measly tarp, the wooden planks were rotting, the paint has long since been peeled off by the elements, the glass windows were cracked and written on, and the door was only partly on its hinges. Careful not to break the door off its hinges—the fact that _he_ could'vedone that spoke volumes on the terrible state it was in—Lelouch pushed the door open and coughed at the cloud of dust that greeted him. He wasn't surprised that they had been granted such an abysmal home, but he had hoped that the Prime Minister would show a blind, crippled girl _some _sympathy.

_And I thought the Japanese were known for their honor and hospitality_.

"Onii-sama, how is it?" Lelouch looked back and forth between his angel and the shed, contemplating on whether or not he should tell the truth. "Please don't lie, onii-sama, I can feel the dust all over me." Well, there goes his potential plan.

"There could be worse places to live in," he said. "Stay out here while I take a look, okay?"

"M'kay, onii-sama."

Lelouch nodded, despite his sister's inability to see, and entered the abandoned shack. The first step he took inside resulted in another mass of dust in his face. He tried to fan the dust away from his eyes using his hand, but his hand didn't move enough air for his attempt to work. He wheezed as dust entered his body through his nose and mouth and mentally cursed his temporary caretakers.

When the dust finally settled, he looked at what surrounded him.

Dust. Lots of dust. Every surface was covered by it, and Lelouch dared not move lest he get another coughing fit.

Cobwebs, ranging from several inches to a few feet, were found at every corner of the room and even between the exposed rafters of the roof.

All the furniture—what little there were—were covered by white sheets. However, they failed to cover the horrific condition of the things they are hiding. From his spot, Lelouch could see at least half of them were broken, judging from the protruding points underneath the blankets.

The place was, to be blunt, a shithole, as some of the more rude members of society would say.

_At least there aren't any rats_

Slowly, Lelouch cautiously backed up out of the shed.

"How was it?"

"It's... a giant mess," Lelouch admitted. "I have to find some way to get all the dust and spiders out first. Then, I'd have to uncover the furniture and check to see which ones are usable. After that, I'll need to—"

"We, onii-sama, we," Nunnally reproved.

"_We'll _need to replace some of the wooden planks and patch over the giant hole in the roof. Until then, we'll need to use Backup Plan Foxtrot." Lelouch sighed in frustration. Most of the work required physical labor, not exactly his within his skills. Nevertheless, a man—prepubescent body aside—has to do what a man has to do. "C'mon, Nunnally, let's go get our luggage." Lelouch pushed his sister away back towards the Kururugi Shrine gate. _If only some exercise nut would show up right about... now_.

"I suppose that we're not good enough for you Brits?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the boy standing in their way. He was brown-haired Japanese boy about his age dressed in a white kimono with the lower half tucked into black pants. As for footwear, he had on some regular sandals. Lelouch saw the rough, callused hands and many bruises and knew that he was, unfortunately, an exercise nut.

"Your Britannian is quite good," Lelouch complimented. _But that's to be expected from the son of the Prime Minister_. However, there was no need to antagonize their hosts.

"Hmph, you fucking sly snake. You have no honor or respect. Father said you would try and trick me, so don't even try it."

Lelouch suppressed an eye twitch. As much as he would love to systematically annihilate his argument and leave him as a sputtering mess, tact was necessary. It wouldn't be good for him or Nunnally to have an "accident" before they can GTFO. War was inevitable, that much was clear to the young prodigy. The Japanese didn't even try to hide their immense dislike for the Britannians, which means that they didn't that they didn't care about their relationship between the global superpower. That meant they were ready for war and were confident.

Lelouch guessed a month at most before they surrender.

"No need to be rude. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Lelouch started to wheel Nunnally around the boy, but was grabbed by the back of his shirt. With seemingly no effort, he threw Lelouch back towards the shed. "Oi! What was that for?!" Lelouch exclaimed as he stood back up. He wiped the small amount of blood on his lips with the back of his hand and glared at the minister's son. He knew that in a fight, he would lose. Despite his training back in Britannia, he was hopeless in all physical activities. He always found a way to not do them, and he was starting to regret it. Lelouch's usual style of fighting, which relied more on observing patterns and deliberately exposing openings in his attacks in order to ascertain where strikes would come from, was useless against the boy in front of him. He was, judging from the ease he threw the Britannian prince, a _super_ exercise nut, and despite his great reflexes from Knightmare training, Lelouch's body won't be able to keep up with such speed.

Lelouch watched as the boy shifted into a weird stance he's never seen before in any of the martial art books he's read. The Japanese boy turned sideways from him, a typical move from a martial artist in order to reduce the target area, leaned into his front left foot, and twisted his torso all the way back. _Is he... going to launch himself at me?_ It was an... unorthodox move to say the least. Lelouch crouched down but did not place his weight on a foot yet. It pays to hide your cards, after all. Suddenly, the brown-haired boy made his move.

"Remember my name, Suzaku Kururugi, for that is the name of the man that has defeated you! **Nippon Gorikki Senpu no Jutsu! (Japan Great Whirlwind Technique!**)"

Suzaku jumped into the air and flew towards Lelouch. While jumping, he snapped his torso backed forward and twisted his body as if he were doing a spin kick. The result? In a move that defied all the laws of physics Lelouch was aware of, Suzaku spun in the air towards him like an oversized top. His legs were going in a circular motion and threatened to hit him with incredible force if he didn't dodge.

Lelouch sidestepped the toy-human hybrid, causing said person barrel past him... and towards the open door of the shed. Lelouch's eyes widened and started running for the door. If the idiot crashed into something—no he _will _crash into something—then if Lelouch estimate on how much dust has collected in that shed is accurate, then the result would be... bad. The 3 meter gap between the raven-haired child and wooden door seemed to stretch further away from him as time went on. He knew that he only had about a second before death by suffocation. Pumping as much energy as his little frame could muster, he ran to the door, which stopped running for some reason, and slapped it shut with a satisfying "thump" as wood met wood. Lelouch sighed in relief as a disaster was avoided, but he jolted as dust began to pour out of the windows. _Crap!_ The biggest threat was eliminated, but they weren't out of the fire yet. Thankfully, the holes were rather small, so dust would pour out slowly.

"Nunnally!" He ran to her and quickly spun her around. She understood the urgency of the situation of _he_ was panicking. The boy sprinted towards the main road, one Suzaku Kururugi quickly forgotten.

* * *

After that incident, they have taken Suzaku to the hospital in order to have them clear the dust from his system. As hard as it was for Lelouch to believe that someone almost died of _dust_, it was just one of the many things he learned to cope with when he started associating himself with Suzaku. When they had cleared the young Kururugi from the hospital, he sought out the vi Britannias and asked them why they had helped him. Lelouch merely responded with: "I'd rather not have stupid, needless deaths, thank you very much."

Suzaku had raised an eyebrow and left to organize his thoughts. Why were they so nice? He had provoked them and attacked first, so why did they help him? Perhaps his father was wrong? No, he needed more information before he could judge them accurately.

And so every day for the next month, Suzaku stalked the siblings. He watched as the two tried to make the best of their living arrangements. Apparently, Backup Plan Foxtrot consisted of large sheets to cover the windows with, many cans of rat, cockroach, spider, ant, and bedbug spray, and sleeping bags. On the first day, it was kind of pathetic watching the ebony-haired boy curse about the stupidly large amount of spiders in the shed, but 2 cans of bug spray later, the spider infestation was gone. The windows were easy enough to fix, but trouble came in when they needed a source of water and food. Suzaku mentally agreed with Lelouch's plan to search the forest around them. Water was fairly simple since a stream was available about half a mile into the forest. No, the problem came at food. He could fish—albeit with great difficulty—but they needed more than that. Some vegetables and fruits were needed in order to maintain a healthy diet. Using Backup Plan Delta, he _could _use the book filled with information on Japan's edible flora, but he couldn't fish and gather at the same time. Suzaku was curious on how he would solve their predicament and smiled as his sister offered to gather food. She claimed that her other senses were more acute compared to a regular person's, so if he could give her some samples, she could just wander the forest near him and sniff and feel out food. Naturally, Lelouch declined, but she just ran over his toes in response.

Suzaku couldn't help but feel a _tiny _bit of respect for the two. Going into the wilderness to find food and water? Gathering plants despite being crippled and blind? It was the exact opposite of the image he had in his head. He fully expected their Britannian guests to be bratty, obnoxious, and spoiled little kids. This new development... he'd have to inform father.

* * *

Genbu Kururugi stared at his son. He was sitting in his office, doing some paperwork when all of a sudden, Suzaku had burst into the room. He spewed some rather... interesting information. According to his child, the Britannian children they had received, Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia, were very different from what he anticipated. If he was being honest with himself, he took away the necessities of living from them in order to justify what he was planning to do. His plan was to have the royals come to him, begging on their knees to help them. That way, he could justify killing children—Britannian children, yes, but children nonetheless—when war broke out by saying they were annoying, spoiled brats. If what Suzaku was saying was true, then that plan just crumbled into dust. The surrounding forest had the resources to sustain them, they brought some things with them to fix the shed, and one could bathe in the stream. They didn't even come to him to complain yet.

Genbu was torn. On one hand, he was Genbu Kururugi, the Prime Minister of Japan. He'd do what was best for his beloved country. War was encroaching, and the best way to send a message was to execute the Emperor's children, preferably on international TV. It would decrease morale, to see the offspring of their Emperor killed so easily. The rage would blind their soldiers, and on a battlefield, rage was an amazing weapon, but it was _very _likely to get one killed. The best weapon has and always will be the human mind. Without it, humans couldn't have survived. It was the sole reason why they were at the top of the food chain. The Britannians would let their zeal overcome their mind, and that would be when Japan's victory would be sealed.

On the other hand, Genbu was a human. There were other ways to beat Britannia. It was not necessary to kill children who have done nothing wrong. In fact, they had earned his respect for being the opposite of the usual Britannian image he had in his head. Seeing such an exception to the rule was brought the smallest of smiles to his face.

It was a troublesome dilemma. Should he listen to his heart or his brain? Japan or his conscience? Pragmatism or humanity? He was the Prime Minister and had the weight of millions of souls on his old, aching shoulders. Perhaps... he could compromise. The siblings had a plan, but that didn't necessarily mean they could execute it.

He'd give them 10 days. 10 days to prove their worth. 10 days to survive. If they could live out there for that amount of time, then he would save them. It would do no good to kill some exceptional children challenging the Britannian status quo.

* * *

Lelouch eventually caught on, but he didn't say anything about it. Nunnally definitely would've known as well, and the siblings made an unspoken agreement not to mention it. They could be spying on them, observing their behavior for weaknesses to exploit. It was possible, but they were just children. Royals, sure, but that didn't change anything. They were completely at their mercy for the time being. It would do no good to spy on little kids.

It was on the 10th day on their stay at the Kururugi Shrine that things changed.

He wasn't surprised when the one who had been watching then revealed himself. It was the boy that tried to bully him—Suzaku, his name was. He was ordered to take them to his father. Lelouch anticipated this. It was only a matter of time when their independent behavior would be met by curiosity and interest. He could only hope that they wouldn't kill him and his sister just yet.

When he met and talked with Genbu Kururugi, he was pleasantly surprised. The man spoke about how they had shattered his expectations, having proven themselves capable and independent. He praised Lelouch's intellect, cunning, and determination and extolled Nunnally's refusal to be a burden. He admitted that he left them on their own to prove a point to himself, and that he was wrong. Lelouch dismissed his apologies, saying that his views on Britannians weren't far from the truth. For earning his respect, he vowed not to kill them and offered them a place at their home, an offer which Lelouch happily accepted. Their indefinite stay at the Kururugis would be a lot easier without having to gather and fish every day. Nunnally was eventually going to get hurt by scouring the forest aimlessly, and he'd be damned if he couldn't do anything about it.

And, of course, with the staying at the Kururugi household came the inevitable encounter with Suzaku. At first, he and the boy were at each other's throats. But eventually, they bonded together over Nunnally, who, in hindsight, most definitely abused her amiability to get the two to be friends. The two were like Yin and Yang. Both were enormous extremes in the opposite ends of the spectrum. With Lelouch came the brains, and Suzaku brought the brawn. Both were _extremely _good at what they do and were two halves of the whole.

* * *

**Present time**

Lelouch sighed wistfully. He missed Suzaku, and if he was being completely honest with himself, life didn't feel complete. Their brief meeting at Shinjuku gave him some questions though? Why did he join the army? Suzaku was dense, _extremely _dense at times, but even he would've knew how he would be treated there. Perhaps he's a spy? No, that contrasted against his blunt and honest personality.

The exiled prince rubbed his temples in frustration. Suzaku was a rare exception in Lelouch's ability to read people. He couldn't think like Suzaku simply because... he's Suzaku. Still, answers could come later.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With a flip, he opened it and texted Milly he'd skip the rest of school today. A quick "Kay" and a request for a dickpic was her reply, to which he vehemently refused. With a sigh, he closed the device and started back towards his room. There was work to be done.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Suzaku spit out the blood from his mouth. Over the last 24 hours, he had been interrogated, tortured, beaten, tortured again, and now the questions were being asked once again. Despite his protests, they still believed that he had murdered Prince Clovis, which he didn't. Their "evidence" consisted of a gun with his fingerprints on it, which could easily be faked, his father, which he couldn't choose, and his ethnicity, which, once again, he could not choose. The evidence, if it could even be called that, was flimsy as best and laughable at worst. Suzaku had no doubt that if Lelouch was here, he would disinterestedly dismantle their argument while playing chess against himself. There was also the fact that he was a Britannian, so they would actually listen to him.

_That_ is the reason he was here, being beaten to a bloody pulp. The inequality between the Japanese and Britannians were far too large, and he sought to change that system. If he could that rise in the military, if he could just be acknowledged not as an Eleven, but as Suzaku Kururugi, then his mission would be a lot easier. By forcing people to see that he, an Eleven, could succeed while working with the Britannians, the other Japanese would see that they could work _with _the Britannians and live a better life because of it. In turn, Britannia would be forced to admit that the Japanese were their equals. Everyone would be happy, and no one would have to pointlessly die. But Suzaku wasn't _that _big of an idiot. He knew that the path leading to the dream would be filled with blood, sweat, humiliation, and pain. Lots of pain. Nevertheless, he would persevere for it was his mission, his atonement for murdering his father.

"I'll ask you once last time. Will you admit to your heinous crimes?" his interrogator, Jeremiah Gottwald, asked. Suzaku mentally groaned. It looks like he'll have to repeat his defense one more time. Quite frankly, it was getting annoying.

"No," he said flatly, but his eyes, which were glaring _swords_ at Jeremiah, betrayed his emotions. "For the last time, I did not murder Clovis—" He was cut off as Jeremiah reached across the table between them and delivered a punch to his cheeks. Suzaku felt _another _tooth knocked loose and spit it out to the side. It didn't matter. There was no way he would be alive after the next few days. Anything short of Lelouch coming to his defense would fail to stop his execution. Still, at least he could die contently, knowing that he _tried _to atone for his sins, and that he saved Lelouch from the firing squad back at Shinjuku. He didn't know where his best friend was, but at least he was probably alive.

"Shut up, insolent worm! You have no right to speak of his highness!" the turquoise-haired man shouted. The man's eyes twitched in annoyance at the boy in front of him. As much as Jeremiah would've liked to kill him, Leona would probably castrate him for taking away the only connection they have to Lelouch they have. He'd probably help her since technically, he would be betraying his highness by eliminating something that could make the search a lot easier. Seeing that they were getting nowhere, he nodded to Viletta, his subordinate. She strolled to the door and went out of the room to go fetch the fearsome duo.

He turned to the Kururugi. "We're going to bring in our interrogation specialist. This is your last chance to confess. Will you?" Jeremiah already knew that Suzaku would say no, but he needed to keep up the façade. Seeing the boy shake his head, Jeremiah called to Villetta, who he knew was the on other side of the door. "Bring them in, Villetta."

The door opened to reveal his subordinate, Leona, and Butler. The duo walked inside, and stood beside Jeremiah. Suzaku raised his eyebrow at the two. The blond girl, who looked about his age, was clad in a white button down shirt with a chest pocket over her left breast. Over her shirt, she had on a green jacket, but it was worn in a way that left her shoulders exposed. The shirt was tucked into black shorts, which then gave way to black tights, leaving no skin exposed. Simple, black sneakers completed her outfit. The man beside her was the epitome of a bodyguard, wearing a suit that Suzaku guessed was especially made to not constrict him. He had on black glasses, probably to conceal the direction his eyes were looking at.

The blond turned to the last remaining officer besides Jeremiah. "You may want to get out, officer Soresi. This isn't for the squeamish, and the information we may receive will be confidential." It wasn't really a request, more like an order. Kewell obeyed and left the room in a brisk walk. Once the door shut, she turned her blue, piercing gaze to one unfortunate Suzaku.

"I'll make this quick, Suzaku. Will you tell us about the whereabouts of Lelouch vi Britannia?" the girl asked. Suzaku widened his eyes as far as possible. _What about Clovis?_ After his father's funeral, he and Lelouch had split ways. Suzaku recalled that Lelouch was going to stay with the Ashfords, but his army duties prevented him from visiting the two. He had told Suzaku not to give his location away, but this was an order from a superior officer. He opened his mouth to answer, but he suddenly remembered the scenes from Shinjuku. The pools of blood as large as an actual swimming pool. Piles of decomposing, reeking bodies on the sidewalks. Many destroyed buildings, while some were made by the rebels, the Britannians definitely had their fair share in the destruction of property. The cries of families as soldiers showered them in lead. The deafening explosion of weapons as they massacred the residents of the ghetto. Suzaku did not participate in the killing of the residents. He only combatted against the rebels, but even a third-person perspective was too much for him to bear. He remembered the voice, and how it told him that all the lives lost on that day were orders from his superiors.

No, he would not answer her.

"No."

The girl stared at him. "I see," she said. "Well then, looks like we'll have to do this the hard way." She nodded to her bodyguard, who pulled out a machine gun from his jacket. He handed the weapon over to her. "Don't worry, we don't kill you."

She pointed the barrel at him, and with a pull of the trigger, almost 20 rounds hit Suzaku straight on his chest. His body recoiled, and he gasped as the bullets hit him, taking his breath out. His torso felt like it was on fire, and Suzaku fully expected to die. He closed his eyes, and he felt the darkness egging him on. He smiled as he felt death claim him.

_At least... I tried_

* * *

Suzaku snapped his eyes open. It was strange. Was this hell? He looked around and was surprised when he was still in the interrogation room. Everyone was still there, and the girl, who had replaced Jeremiah on the chair, was staring at him intently. "W-what did you do—GAH!" He tried to sit straight since he had slumped into his seat between his false death and his awakening. His chest and stomach still burned, and red-hot pain coursed through his body.

"Rubber bullets, specifically designed to cause as much pain as possible. The pain overloaded your nervous system, and you passed out," she informed him. "This could've been a lot easier, you know. Now, answer my questions. Were you friends with Lelouch?" When he did not respond, she shot another bullet, this time on his shoulder. Suzaku grimaced in obvious pain from the wound. "Answer," she ordered.

"Such loyalty. So you _were _friends with him. Or maybe, you _are _friends with him?" she suggested. Suzaku just glared at her. He felt so... powerless. This girl just drew the answer out from him despite his silence. Without a doubt, he knew he'd break. Mind games were more up Lelouch' alley.

She sighed. "Well then, how about this?" She held up a picture. Suzaku squinted at it. It showed a happy, smiling Lelouch playing chess with a blond girl, who was scowling at the prince. He recognized Nunnally rooting for both of them, clapping gleefully. The pink-haired girl was in the background, playing with a slightly older girl with purple hair. A blond teenager watched over them, content at supervising them. "The blond girl is me. As you can see, I was friends with him." She made eye contact with Suzaku, and this time, Suzaku saw a hint of longing in her eyes and voice. "I just want to reunite our little family," she admitted. "I'll do anything to do that."

Suzaku winced as guilt overtook him. Who was he to deny her wishes? She didn't seem to have ill-intent towards him. But then again, Lelouch commanded him not to say it. Was it possible he anticipated his friends would go looking for him? If he did, then he shouldn't tell her, but if he didn't, then he should tell her. Suzaku gritted his teeth in frustration.

_What to do, what to do?_

The girl noticed his predicament. "I've been looking all over for him. I've run out of places to look. Please, Suzaku, just answer me this one question. Is he here, in Tokyo?" she pleased. Suzaku widened his eyes at the name of Lelouch's location. She's so close to him, and she sounds sincere. The conflict was present in his eyes, and it took all his willpower not to spill the information. He looked at her, but she conversing with Jeremiah and her bodyguard in hushed whispers. They nodded their heads in agreement, and the girl stood up from her seat. Gone was the innocent girl he saw moments before. "Thank you for telling me all I needed to know, Suzaku Kururugi."

"W-w-how?" he sputtered.

"The answer is obvious in your eyes, Suzaku Kururugi. That was quite fun, but I can't believe you fell for the good ole 'innocent girl searching for her friend/lover' routine." And with that, she and her protector exited the room. Suzaku's eyes were still wide open from his shock.

He was just played like a damn violin.

* * *

**Omake: Interrogation V2.0**

"So, Suzaku Kururugi, I'll ask you one last time. Why did you join the army? You knew you'd get abused, so why?" Jeremiah asked.

"It's because, good sir, that I truly believe that I can change Britannia from within. If I can't do it, then I'll die happy knowing I tried," Suzaku proudly proclaimed.

Jeremiah, Villetta, and Kewell all looked at each other and then... laughed.

**_"LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!"_** They laughed so hard, the author felt the need to bold, italicize, _and _underline their laughs to convey just how hard they laughed. At this point, Leona and Butler walked into the room to investigate the noise.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You... won't... believe... this," Jeremiah replied in between laughs. "He..." he pointed at Suzaku."...said he could... change... BRITANNIA FROM WITHIN!" he shouted the last part to emphasize the message.

Needless to say, the two dropped on the ground, rolling around in fits of laughter.

* * *

**Omake: Interrogation V3.0**

"So, Suzaku Kururugi, why did you join the army despite having knowledge of how you'd be treated?" Jeremiah asked.

"It's because... I'm a masochist, sir," he admitted.

...

...

...

"LEONA! GET IN HERE NOW!"

The door burst open, and said blond came barreling in. "What is it?" she asked urgently while running over to him.

"He"—he pointed at Suzaku—"is a masochist."

"Really?" She reached into Butler's jacket and pulled out a machine gun filled with rubber rounds. "Let's test it."

With no hesitation, she blasted all 200 rounds into Suzaku, who just moaned loudly.

"YES!"

"Hmmm, I think I know what to do."

**10 months later**

Pendragon fell. The building were razed to the ground. Lelouch stood on top of the rubble of the Aries Villa. His friends, including Cornelia and Euphy, stood behind him. It was an easy victory. After discovering Suzaku's masochism, they quickly put it to use, using him for the army's target practice. Instead of practicing on shooting the head and heart, they shot him on the balls, which elicited a primal moan that everyone thought was hilarious. Soon, vines of this phenomenon were made, and instead of doing whatever they were supposed to do, all Britannians aside from the soldiers watched the vine, which made the conquest of Britannia a lot easier. It didn't help that all the soldiers started aiming for the enemy's balls, knightmare framed be damned...

* * *

**Omake: Leona, the Mary Sue**

**After the rescue of Suzaku Kururugi **

Lelouch walked inside his home and sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness it's over."

He had just saved his best friend, Suzaku, from being executed in some violent, gory fashion on international television. The rescue took a lot of effort mentally, considering he had the eyes of billions on his Zero mask. It took everything he had just keep his calm, insult Britannia, and bluff about poison gas. All with about 5 knightmares training their enormous guns on his.

Just another day in the life of Lelouch vi Britannia.

He walked into the dining room, where Nunnally was probably at, and stumbled at what he saw.

First off, there was a voluptuous girl with golden, silk-like hair and emerald green eyes folding origami with his angel.

Two, there was _another_ extremely hot girl on the room. Hot Girl #2 was currently sitting next to Hot Girl #1 and was twiddling her thumbs. Hot Girl #2 had long, blond hair like Hot Girl #1, but she had blue, azure eyes. As soon as he walked into the room, he felt both eyes pierce into him, analyzing everything they could see. He did the same, albeit with _immense _difficulty. Especially Hot Girl #2. As soon as their eyes connected, he instantly felt his knees turn into jelly and threaten to collapse. He could not explain these... feelings. Urges to kiss her and take her into his bedroom and submit to her will filled his head. It was... disturbing.

"Hello, Lelouch," both girls—no, _women_—said in unison.

"I'm C.C.," Hot Girl #1 said flatly.

"Leona. Leona Gradstein," Hot Girl #69 informed.

"L-L-L-L-Lelouch," he stuttered out. Strange. He never stuttered, but somehow, these girls did what may could not. He couldn't control himself, he realized. He did not question them on why they were here, why they may have done to Nunnally, or if they wanted to have sex with him. He kept that particular thought in his head.

"We'll explain. But first, shall we move into a more... comfortable location?" Leona suggested.

**10 minutes later**

"So, you—" Lelouch pointed at C.C. "—are immortal and were manipulating me in order to kill yourself, but you just secretly wanted to be sincerely loved?"

She nodded.

"And you—" this time, his finger rested on Leona "—are a... Mary Sue?" he questioned.

"Correct, Lelouch. I am, indeed a Mary Sue. I came here due to the great concentration on complaints about my existence in this fanfic." She stared disgustedly at the ceiling of the bedroom, which just so happened to be the angle 13% of the readers imagined this scene in. "I don't like them, thus I destroy all those who oppose me."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. The weird, oppressive atmosphere he felt earlier had vanished, which allowed Lelouch to actually be able talk and use his fine motor skills.

"And what exactly is a... 'Mary Sue'?"

"A Mary Sue is basically someone who is perfect in every area and upstages all the females in the universe. She is—to be blunt—every man's wet dream. Signs of a Mary Sue include: OPness, tragic past, and the 'OC' character tag when you browse through the stories on ."

"And you're one of these... people?"

She nodded. "Yes. I am Leona Gradstein, slayer of Suzaku Kururugi, 1st Empress of the Amazing Leona Empire, wife of Lelouch vi Britannia A.K.A. you, replacement to your 10000000 member harem, successor to Satan and God, Hero of Twilight, conqueror of the omniverse, The Flash V2.0, owner of the legendary Geass of Absolute Mary Sue-ness, and part-time WcDonald employee," she listed of proudly. "Oh, that reminds me." She turned to C.C., who returned the look she was giving her. "You're not supposed to be here." She snapped her fingers, and C.C. vanished without a trace.

"..."

"Anyway, I'll be right back."

With a flash—pun intended, she departed.

**Awkward Scene Change**

Leona teleported into the holding cell of one Suzaku Kururugi.

"W—"

Suzaku widened his eyes as the girl—Leona, the author informed, so that he wouldn't have to say "the girl" every time—clenched his manhood through the prison clothing. He smiled in bliss, the feeling of a girl pleasuring him sexually was just amazing—

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" He screamed as she ripped his genitals off, penis and all. Blood spurted from the wound. He shrieked in pain, which was unfortunate because Leona used the opportunity to stuff his beloved companion down his throat. Suzaku gagged and choked on it for several seconds before collapsing on the floor dead.

Leona wiped her hands with a towel that came from absolutely nowhere and left in another flash.

**Awkwarder Scene Change**

Leona flashed into the Emperor's bedroom. She spotted the large man on the grand bed and identified him as Charles zi Britannia. She put her hands together, and a small, pink, translucent orb formed. A geass symbol in the center of the orb, marking it as one of the transporters she had created. The device would transport everything within it to a location of her choosing in C's world. Leona teleported out and re-appeared above the Royal Palace. She willed the transporter to expand, and it obeyed, a ball as large as the building came into view of everyone at Pendragon, Britannia. She threw the ball at the castle, its shape constantly changing until it formed a coat over palace. She mentally chose a cavern with no way out by human means at C's World to transport the castle into. She snapped her fingers, and the deed was done, eliminating Schneizel, Charles, Marianne, the Knights of the Round, and V.V. in the process.

**Awkwardest Scene Change **

Leona put herself into Nina Einstein's bedroom. Once again, she snapped her fingers, and black flames came into existence. The fire targeted the poor, xenophobic girl immediately. She didn't even have time to scream before the hot flames incinerated her instantly.

She smiled as the last of her tasks were completed.

**Scene Change**

"And I'm back," Leona said as she flashed next to Lelouch, who sat on his bed.

"Do I want to know?"

"No."

**Well, _that_ felt great. Glad I got that out of my system. Don't even ask me about Interrogation V3.0.**

**So, yeah, this chapter was mostly filler. Just elaborating on Suzaku and Lelouch's relationship (Yes, I rushed it. Sue me), as well ashow cruel Leona can be. Hmmm, let's see. Pragmatic. Knightmare piloting prodigy, jokes around a bit, and is Marianne's apprentice. Pretty much sums up Leona. I explain what drives her, because it's most certainly not Lelouch. Errr, it's a small motive. It's like 85% _ and 15% Lelouch. **

**Oh, if you're wondering why I focus on Lelouch and Suzaku's relationship so much even though I hate Suzaku's guts, it's because the higher they are, the harder they fall. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**That Naruto reference is just for shits and giggles. Don't expect Lelouch to go: Geass Release: Mind Command no Jutsu! **

**I'll also be creating a poll for my story. The question will be...**

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**What did Suzaku have for breakfast yesterday morning? Kidding, the actual question will be...**

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**Should Suzaku die? Yes, _you_, the readers, will decide his fate. Will be live and form a triumvirate with Lelouch and C.C.? Or will he die in some awesome fashion that I will conjure? I've already plotted his death, and the irony is hilarious, but I suppose I could keep him alive. After all, I can still torture him :p **

**People, I _will _be editing Ch. 2 due to the numerous complaints. I won't fix Ch. 1 solely because that's my first ever chapter, and no matter how bad it is, it has sentimental value to me. This chapter was only skimmed because I'm quite busy at the moment. School...**


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